Armed Forces: Hearing Impaired

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of the need to provide for hearing specialists at Camp Bastion Hospital to treat servicemen and women whose hearing has been affected by explosions or the use of munitions.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 10 March 2009
	The medical facilities at Camp Bastion already include the means of examining the hearing of personnel who have been exposed to explosions or the use of munitions, and medical staff at Camp Bastion already institute hearing conservation measures when audiometry indicates that it is appropriate to do so for an individual.
	The Ministry of Defence takes the issue of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) seriously and we are continually looking at ways of monitoring and mitigating the risk in operational scenarios, including the development of improved hearing protection, while not hampering the operational effectiveness of combat personnel. A study is currently under way to determine the numbers of personnel that have been affected by acute acoustic trauma, the results of which will help to inform future policy on treatment and the provision of specialist support. I have met with The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to discuss how they can further assist us and it has been agreed that they will have a representative at the Surgeon General's Working Group on Hearing Loss.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 20W, on armed forces: housing, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the changes in numbers of houses at grade  (a) one and  (b) four for charge between 2005 and 2007.

Kevan Jones: Given the way Grade for Charge data is collated officials need to identify and analyse information to answer this question. I will write to the hon. Member when this work is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Leave

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place for the granting of home leave to  (a) recent recruits and  (b) personnel under the age of 18 in the armed forces.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 16 March 2009
	All service personnel have the same basic allocation of leave although recent recruits, including under-18s, may have leave restricted according to the stage of training they are undertaking. Compassionate leave, however, is always accessible on a case by case basis. It should also be noted that under-18s must provide evidence that they will be suitably accommodated while on leave.
	Personnel in the first three years of full time service are entitled to Get You Home Early Years Scheme which provides assistance (rail warrants or mileage claim) with leave travel up to four times a year.

Defence: Internet

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the UK has in  (a) supporting and  (b) participating in the work of the NATO Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The United Kingdom is fully supportive of this Estonian-hosted Cyber Defence initiative and their endeavours in this important area. However, given the need to coordinate Cyber Defence with a number of other Government Departments and Allies, the MOD's preferred means of support is via virtual participation rather than attach personnel permanently to Estonia. The United Kingdom is not a founding signatory nation to this Centre of Excellence (CoE) but this position will be kept under review.
	Both the Head of the MOD Defence Security and Safety Assurance organisation and a senior officer from the MOD's Joint Security Coordination Centre (JSyCC) have visited the Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD CoE) and have subsequently provided additional assistance to its development over the past two years.

Joint Strike Fighter

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid Sussex, of 6 November 2008,  Official Report, column 676W, on the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, when he expects a decision on the integration of future weapons capability to be made.

Quentin Davies: In order to provide Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) with an initial baseline air to air and precision air to ground capability, a decision has already been made to integrate Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile and Paveway IV on to the aircraft. We plan to make decisions on the integration of the weapons systems in good time before the introduction to service of the JSF.

Met Office

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the Shareholder Executive as part of the Government's Trading Fund Review in advance of the 2009 Budget.

Kevan Jones: As part of the Department's Owners Advisory Council for each of its trading funds, defence Ministers were briefed by a Shareholder Executive Official on both the Trading Fund Assessment study, and on the Asset Management Strand of the Operational Efficiency Programme. I discussed the subject separately last November in a meeting attended by a Shareholder Executive Official.

Submarines: Accidents

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's estimate in its risk assessments of the probability of a British nuclear submarine colliding at sea with a foreign nuclear submarine was prior to 3 February.

John Hutton: My Department was satisfied that the estimate of the risk of a collision at sea between a British SSBN and a foreign nuclear submarine prior to 3 February was extremely low.

Olympic Games 2012: Fairtrade Initiative

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what representations she has received from Tearfund on fair trade products and the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: We can find no record of representations from Tearfund on fairtrade products for the London 2012 Games.

Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department  (a) has undertaken and  (b) plans to undertake in respect of its policy on (i) economic competitiveness and (ii) quality of life for residents of seaside towns in England with specific reference to sporting and cultural activities and amenities.

Barbara Follett: At the tourism summit convened by VisitBritain on 8 January this year, we considered ways to help support the industry, including that in seaside towns, through the economic downturn and beyond. We will continue to work with our NDPBs and the industry to maximise the economic competitiveness of our sectors, and people's quality of life through the provision of sporting and cultural activities and amenities, in seaside towns and other communities across the country.
	The Department also has a programme specifically for seaside towns, known as Sea Change. It places culture at the heart of efforts to regenerate England's seaside resorts through investment in arts, public space, cultural assets and heritage projects. The scheme, which will run for three years from 2008-11, and which will dispense £45 million in total, will encourage new visitors to coastal areas and help support and enrich existing communities. It is being delivered through a partnership involving Arts Council England, the BIG Lottery Fund, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and the regional development agencies.

Departmental Absenteeism

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff of his Department were recorded absent for non-medical reasons on  (a) 2 February 2009 and  (b) 3 February 2009; what estimate he has made of the (i) cost to his Department and (ii) number of working hours lost due to such absence; and what guidance his Department issued to staff in respect of absence on these days.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The offices of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were closed at 3 pm on 2 February owing to a lack of security staff caused by travel restrictions caused by the extreme weather. On 3 February 2009, we estimate that around 40 per cent. of staff attended the office. We do not hold central records of absence or the hours worked by staff on the relevant days and are not able to make an estimate of (i) the cost to the Department nor (ii) the number of working hours lost.
	On the days in question, staff were able to access information about whether the offices were closed on the internet and recovery phone line.
	Further guidance was issued on 5 February, reminding staff that when DCMS buildings are open staff are expected to take all reasonable steps to get into work without endangering themselves; that if they cannot get to the office they must notify their line manager that morning; and that if they do not notify their line manager they will be expected to take any days out of the office as annual or unpaid leave.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Gerry Sutcliffe: During the period 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2009 the following items were lost or stolen.
	
		
			  Item  Date  Lost/Stolen  Estimated cost of replacement (£) 
			 Memory stick March 2008 Lost 10 
			 Disk drive May 2008 Lost 22 
			 Mobile phone May 2008 Lost 100 
			 Blackberry May 2008 Stolen 195 
			 Blackberry 29 January 2009 Stolen £195 
			 Mobile phone 25 February 2009 Lost 100 
		
	
	During the period 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2009 the following three works of art have gone missing from the Government Art Collection and are still missing.
	 GACL90—'Monument to Balance', 4/30 print by Ernest A. Dunn
	Reported missing from British consulate-general, Sao Paulo, July 2008
	Estimated cost of replacement: £100
	 GAC12775—'The Wording of Police Charges', 37/150 1970 print by R.  B. Kitaj
	 GAC1275—  ' Plague ', 37/150 1970 print by R.  B. Kitaj
	Both reported missing from British embassy, Baku, July 2008
	Estimated cost of replacement: £500 each.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in respect of which projects each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies will receive ring-fenced funding in each of the next three years; and what the cost of each such project will be.

Andy Burnham: At the conclusion of Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 negotiations, only funding to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and funding to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLAC) for Renaissance in the Regions and the Government Indemnity Scheme, was depicted as being ring-fenced. ODA funding, which represents the maximum expected cost to the Exchequer, is broken down as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 1559 
			 2009-10 1014 
			 2010-11 1050 
		
	
	This answer does not include the funding amounts for MLAC, which were detailed in my answer on 12 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 2276-78W, to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt).
	Funding for 2011-12 for the Department's non-departmental public bodies falls outside of the current spending review period, and will be the subject of detailed negotiation at a later date.

Government Olympic Executive

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on  (a) administration and  (b) staff salaries in each of the last five years; and what proportion of each has been spent on the Government Olympic Executive.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is set out in the table. As the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) was formed in 2005, the table does not show data for the years prior to it.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial year  Net DCMS administration cost  O f which :  GOE administration cost  DCMS staff salaries cost  O f which :  GOE staff salaries cost 
			 2007-08 54,426 5,538 26,040 2,870 
			 2006-07 51,071 3,101 24,860 1,689 
			 2005-06 46,673 1,395 22,191 678 
			 2004-05 40,452 (1)— 19,814 (1)— 
			 2003-04 39,335 (1)— 18,657 (1)— 
			 (1) Not applicable

National Lottery: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how much has been spent by the national lottery promotions unit in 2008-09;
	(2)  what the budget for the national lottery promotions unit is for 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 16 March 2009
	Between 1 April 2008 and 31 December 2008, the national lottery promotions unit (NLPU) spent £1,609,351 delivering public relations campaigns that enable the public to access information about lottery funding and he difference it is making to their communities.
	All work is independently evaluated and assessed and in the period 1 April 2008 to 31 December 2008 it was estimated that the NLPU had delivered activity with a value of over £54,407,032 which represents a return on investment of 33:1. Figures for the last three months of the financial year are not yet available.
	For the current financial year the national lottery promotions unit has a budget of £2,667,121.

Public Houses

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to publish the Government's response to the findings of the Community Pubs Inquiry report.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 16 March 2009
	The recommendations in the Community Pubs Inquiry Report cover the policy interests of several Government Departments. Consequently it has taken time to collate a Government response. However, our report is being finalised and we hope to respond shortly.

Royal Parks Agency: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what revenues have been raised by the Royal Parks Agency in each Royal park from  (a) car park charges,  (b) fixed penalty notices,  (c) other fines and  (d) other revenues in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 16 March 2009
	The Royal Parks (TRP) advise that there are visitor parking facilities in five of London's eight Royal Parks: Hyde park, Regent's park, Greenwich park, Richmond park and Bushey park.
	TRP advise that there is no charge at present for parking in Richmond or Bushey parks, but parking charges have applied in Hyde park and Regent's park since 1994 and in Greenwich park since 2000. Revenue received by TRP from parking charges over the last five financial years is as follows:
	
		
			  Car parking 
			  £000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Hyde park 256 265 282 339 320 
			 Regent's park 498 553 630 782 896 
			 Greenwich park 106 148 157 196 252 
			 Total 860 966 1,069 1,317 1,468 
		
	
	The figures shown above include income from excess charge notices (penalties for failing to display a valid parking ticket), which break down as follows:
	
		
			  Excess charge notices 
			  £000 
			   2003-04( 1)  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Hyde park 2.5 23 35 50 53 
			 Regent's park 5 38 59 87 99 
			 Greenwich park 4 29 39 45 47 
			 Total 11.5 90 133 182 199 
			 (1 )Records are not available for the period prior to December 2003 
		
	
	TRP does not receive any revenue from fixed penalty notices or other fines, but receives revenue from catering and other concessions, from fees for events, permits and licences, and from rents. Over the past five years these revenues, park by park, were as follows:
	
		
			  Other revenue 
			  £000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Hyde park 2,139 2,484 2,365 2,622 2,602 
			 St. James's park 608 1,015 1,114 1,274 1,796 
			 Kensington Gardens 226 188 266 340 302 
			 The Regent's park 699 678 1,268 1,086 1,282 
			 Greenwich park 177 184 224 275 280 
			 Richmond park 338 544 628 759 906 
			 Bushy park 181 147 165 180 210 
			 Total 4,368 5,240 6,030 6,536 7,378 
		
	
	These figures exclude grants for Agency wide projects, which are managed centrally.

Sport England

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what date he expects the Sport England Strategy for 2008 to 2011 to have been implemented.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 6 March 2009
	Sport England's new strategy runs between April 2008 and March 2011, and implementation is ongoing during this period.
	A key element of the strategy is Sport England's investment in national governing bodies of sport (NGBs). 46 NGBs have been commissioned to deliver specific outcomes over four years, contributing to the outcomes Sport England has committed to achieving, including 1 million more people engaged in sport, by 2012-13.

Banks: Fraud

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms are in place to compensate people for financial loss incurred as a result of fraud in relation to retail banks.

Ian Pearson: The Financial Services Compensation Scheme will compensate persons who are eligible to claim under its rules in the event that a UK authorised bank is unable, or likely to be unable to pay claims against it, including where the bank is unable to pay claims as a result of fraud.

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 103W, on departmental surveys, if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent annual staff survey.

Angela Eagle: The most recent annual staff survey was conducted in December 2008. As in previous years the survey suppliers are providing a summary of the results to be put on the HM Treasury public website. This will be made available by the end of March 2009.
	I will place a copy of this summary in the Library once it is available.

Non-profit Making Associations

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Oxford, East of 24 February 2009,  Official Report, column 530W, on non-profit making associations, if he will discuss with the Office for Government Commerce the scope for accelerating its work.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 105W, on Public Sector: Procurement. An update on the progress in implementing the Glover recommendations will be provided at Budget 2009.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have registered for the DART-Tag scheme for the Dartford Crossing.

Paul Clark: There were 91,684 accounts with 250,979 Dart-Tags on 4 March 2009.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1726W, on Heathrow Airport: air pollution, on what date Ministers concluded that air quality limits had been met in relation to the  (a) third runway and  (b) mixed mode scenarios consulted on in the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport public consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 16 March 2009
	Further to my answer on 5 March, Ministers received advice in September 2007 confirming the position and subsequently agreed this for the purposes of consultation. Final decisions in the light of consultation responses were taken shortly before the announcement on 15 January 2009.

High Speed Trains

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes to transport infrastructure will be required to accommodate the new high speed railway tracks by 2013.  [Official Report, 25 March 2009, Vol. 490, c. 3MC.]

Paul Clark: "Britain's Transport Infrastructure: High Speed Two", published on 15 January and available on the Department for Transport's website and the Libraries of the House, sets out what we expect "High Speed Two" to deliver.
	The remit of the company is to consider and to provide advice to the Government on the costs and benefits of:
	(a) A proposed route between London and the west Midlands with any options as appropriate;
	(b) Options for a "Heathrow International" interchange station on the Great Western main line with an interchange also with Crossrail;
	(c) Options for access to central London and the other cities served;
	(d) Options for linking with HS1 and the existing rail network, including the potential for services to continental Europe;
	(e) Financing and construction proposals.
	In response to a letter dated 13 February from Sir David Rowlands, Chairman of High Speed Two, my noble Friend the Minister responsible for rail wrote to the company on 10 March setting out in more detail what the Government expect by the end of the year. Both letters have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Lichfield Trent Valley Station

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when Lichfield Trent Valley Railway station will be  (a) refurbished and  (b) provided with disabled access to the platforms serving the southbound West Coast Main Line and the eastbound Birmingham line; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: There are currently no plans to carry out work at Lichfield Trent Valley under the Access for All or National Stations Improvement Programmes. However, London Midland are exploring options with the local authority to redevelop the whole site to improve station facilities, provide additional car parking and if possible, provide step free access to all platforms.
	If such a project can be developed, we would welcome an application for partial funding from the Access for All Small Schemes fund. An accessible ticket machine has recently been installed and improvements to the toilet and waiting facilities are due in the summer. Information points, customer information screens and a public address system are also planned.

M25

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the cost of widening  (a) junctions 16 to 23 and  (b) junctions 27 to 30 of the M25; and how much of this sum he expects to come from the public purse.

Paul Clark: Both of these widening schemes form part of the M25 Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) contract that is currently in the final stages of negotiation. The latest estimates of the cost of these widening schemes are based on the tendered prices submitted by the Preferred Bidder, Connect Plus, however these are commercially sensitive until the contract is awarded.
	The last estimate, prior to receipt of tenders for the DBFO contract, was made in July 2007. At that time the cost of widening junctions 16 to 23 was estimated at £697 million and junctions 27 to 30 at £583 million.
	As these works are being procured through a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract it is planned that they will funded by borrowings from the private sector which are recovered from the Highways Agency out of availability payments over the life of the contract. These payments are subject to contractor performance. In light of current financial circumstances the Government may elect to lend to the project if insufficient private sector funds are available, however this is not yet determined.

Railways: Franchises

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, column 2132W, on railways: franchises, what research his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) evaluated on assumptions about (i) economic growth and (ii) passenger volumes in the franchise agreements for these lines in the last 12 months.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport monitors revenues on all franchises, and forms an internal view about likely future trends as part of its routine monitoring of franchisees. The department is also carrying out research looking at a large sample of passenger flows across England, Wales and Scotland in order to improve our understanding of how economic and other factors have influenced the growth in rail patronage in recent years. This is due to complete at the end of 2009, and will be used to inform the Department's forecasting work.

Road Traffic: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average daily flow of  (a) heavy goods vehicles and  (b) other vehicles was on each section of the (i) A11 and (ii) A14 in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: A table providing annual average daily flows (AADFs) of  (a) heavy goods vehicles and  (b) other vehicles on each section of the (i) A11 and (ii) A14 in Suffolk, has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
	These figures give estimates of the number of vehicles travelling along individual sections of road on an average day of the year. Two sections of the A14 in Cambridgeshire have been included for continuity.
	The figures provided in the table are for the period 2003-07. More recent data for 2008 will be released in June 2009. AADF data for individual motorway and 'A' road links for 1999 to 2007 are available on our website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/matrix

Roads: Accidents

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many road traffic accidents there were in each police force area in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many  (a) fatalities and  (b) injuries there were in road traffic accidents in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Tables showing the number of (a) accidents (b) fatalities and (c) injuries resulting from reported personal injury road accidents in each police force area in Great Britain from 1997 to 2007, have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Roads: Accidents

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths on rural roads in each  (a) local authority area and  (b) constituency there were in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Tables showing the numbers of deaths on rural roads in each local authority area and constituency resulting from reported personal injury road accidents in Great Britain from 1997 to 2007, have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Carbon Emissions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding he has allocated for the purposes of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation and degradation.

Joan Ruddock: In advance of internationally agreed mechanisms, it is necessary to test approaches and build capacity in developing countries. At the climate change negotiations in Poznan last December the UK announced up to £100 million from the International Window of the Environmental Transformation Fund to support such work.
	This is in addition to a £15 million contribution to the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility which assists developing countries in working out how they can participate in and benefit from evolving incentive mechanisms for avoided deforestation. The UK has also committed £60 million to help reduce deforestation and poverty in the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin Forest Fund, launched in June 2008, will support transformative and innovative proposals from the countries of the Congo Basin and civil society to slow the rate of deforestation.
	In addition, smaller sums of money have been committed from the budgets of DECC, Defra, DFID and the FCO.

Departmental Public Consultation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what public consultations his Department  (a) is planning to undertake and  (b) is undertaking; and when each such consultation is expected to end.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 11 March 2009
	DECC is currently undertaking the following consultations:
	
		
			  Consultation  Start date  Closes  Intended date of response 
			 The Environmental Permitting Regulations, Phase 2 (EPP2) 16 February 2009 18 May 2009 15 September 2009 
			 Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) 12 February 2009 8 May 2009 Summer 2009 
			 Heat and Energy Saving Strategy Consultation 12 February 2009 8 May 2009 End of 2009. 
			 Proposed amendments to the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target 2008-11 12 February 2009 14 April 2009 Summer 2009 
			 The Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study 26 January 2009 23 April 2009 To be announced in due course 
			 Offshore Energy SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) Environmental Report 26 January 2009 22 April 2009 To be announced in due course 
			 Proposed Offshore Gas Storage and Gas Unloading Licensing Scheme 12 February 2009 23 April 2009 To be announced in due course 
			 The Justification of Practices involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004: Consultation on the Nuclear Industry Association's Application to Justify New Nuclear Power Stations 17 December 2008 25 March 2009 A draft decision document, containing responses to this current consultation, is provisionally intended to be published in September 2009. This itself is subject to consultation and the final Justification decision is not expected to be made until January 
			 Consultation on offshore electricity transmission: a further joint Ofgem/DECC regulatory policy update November 20 2008 9 January 2009 Spring 2009 
			 Carbon units, the net UK carbon account and carbon accounting (under the Climate Change Act) 28 October 2008 19 January 2009 Alongside laying of carbon accounting Statutory Instrument at fiscal Budget 2009 
		
	
	DECC is planning to undertake the following consultations:
	A pre-consultation on nuclear waste and decommissioning fixed unit price. This is likely to start in the next few weeks. There will be a formal consultation on this point later in the spring.
	A final consultation on the offshore transmission licensing regime. This is likely to start by end of this month
	Consultation on a strategy for Low Level Radioactive Waste from the non-nuclear industry (e.g. hospitals, educational establishments etc). This is likely to start in late April or in May and end 12 weeks later.
	Consultation on Revised Exemption Orders under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. This likely to start in June and end in September.
	Consultations for the Renewables Obligation, Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed in Tariffs are planned for this summer.
	Consultation on energy National Policy Statements to be produced under the Planning Act 2008. Expected to end in second half of 2009.
	Consultation on desirability of allowing local authorities to sell electricity generated otherwise than in association with heat and possible consequent legislative changes. Likely end date autumn 2009.
	Consultation on changes to the electricity licence exemption order. Likely end date autumn 2009.
	A further public consultation on Severn tidal power. Likely to be in 2010.
	Consultation on a new framework for coal fired power stations, timing unknown.
	Consultation on the term 'carbon neutral': its definition and recommendations for good practice. 26 February to 21 May 2009.
	Consultation on first stage Transposition of EU Directive (EC/2008/101) to include Aviation in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). A joint consultation with the Department for Transport. End date 14 May 2009.
	Second stage Transposition of EU Directive (EC/2008/101) to include Aviation in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). A joint consultation with the Department for Transport. Likely to end in autumn 2009.
	Transposition of revisions to the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for post-2012. Likely to end in summer 2009.
	Consultation on the Form and Content of New Climate Change Agreements. 12 March-4 June 2009.
	Consultation on the Draft Order to implement the Carbon Reduction
	Commitment. 12 March - 4 June 2009.
	 Note:
	Dates have not been finalised for some of these consultations therefore end dates have not yet been set in these cases.

International Renewable Energy Agency

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1001W, on the International Renewable Energy Agency, for what reason the Government has not joined the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Mike O'Brien: We have fully supported the proposal for an International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). During 2008, we participated in the process for establishing the IRENA and we have also participated at the Founding Conference on 26 January and the first session of the Preparatory Commission of IRENA on 27 January 2009.
	We have been very keen on joining and have been in close contact with the German government on the details of the new organisation. For example, we have been talking to Germany about how IRENA can contribute to the roll-out and deployment of renewables and how we can help to get other countries such as Canada, China, Japan, India and the US to join. We are also talking about how we can make sure that IRENA works closely with, and avoids overlap and duplication with, other international bodies and organisations, such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the renewable energy and energy efficiency partnership (REEEP). The IEA has a good understanding of the potential for renewable energy and its technology roadmaps published in its Energy Technologies Perspectives 2008 set out what needs to be done. The policy and analytical expertise of the IEA needs to be used by IRENA to accelerate deployment of renewables sources of energy.
	These are the main issues that we have under consideration, but we have not finalised a timetable by which we intend to join.

Warm Front Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many boilers installed under the Warm Front scheme in  (a) Birkenhead constituency and  (b) nationally have required repair on (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three and (iv) four or more occasions.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 25 February 2009
	The Warm Front scheme offers a comprehensive aftercare provision with cover for parts and labour under all installed gas central heating systems for two years. September 2007, is the earliest date for which this information is available. In the time period 1 September 2007 to January 31 2009, the following data show system repairs (including although not exclusively pertaining to boiler repairs) in Birkenhead and England respectively:
	
		
			  (a) Birkenhead—1,948 properties were covered by the aftercare provision in the period, of which 656 properties required one or more visits 
			   Number 
			 1 visit 456 
			 2 visits 145 
			 3 visits 38 
			 >4 visits 17 
			 Total 656 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) England—352,000 properties were covered by the aftercare provision of which 90,145 properties required one or more visits 
			   Number 
			 1 visit 63,384 
			 2 visits 18,643 
			 3 visits 2,564 
			 >4 visits 2,554 
			 Total 90,145

Group Of Twenty: London Summit

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of  (a) hiring conference facilities and  (b) the media centre for the G20 Summit to be held in London on 2 April 2009.

Gillian Merron: The financial crisis of autumn 2008, affecting banking systems, is now a global economic crisis, impacting upon jobs and livelihoods. No one country can resolve this crisis alone. International co-operation and the London G20 Summit is essential as it will bring together leaders of the world's major economies and key international institutions.
	With the global economic situation continuing to deteriorate our goal for the London G20 Summit is for leaders to: take whatever action is necessary to stabilise financial markets and enable families and business to get through the recession; reform and strengthen the global financial and economic system to restore confidence and trust; and put the global economy on track for sustainable growth.
	The London G20 Summit at the Excel Centre in east London, which will hold both the conference and a media centre, is therefore vitally important on the global stage. The current estimate of £1.1 million for the space required should be considered in this context.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid to farmers in each region of England in  (a) single farm payments,  (b) protein crop premium and  (c) energy aid in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007 and (iv) 2008.

Jane Kennedy: The data required to provide payment information for these schemes by region is not held in a form that is easily accessible and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Agriculture: Subsidies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on set-aside; and what timetable he has set to introduce changes to the existing arrangements.

Jane Kennedy: As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1216W, the UK supported abolishing set-aside in the CAP 'Health Check', but made clear that adequate measures were needed to mitigate adverse environmental consequences. We were successful in achieving a new legal basis which allows member states to use cross-compliance for this purpose.
	On 4 March 2009 DEFRA launched a 12-week public consultation on proposed changes to cross-compliance, including recapturing the environmental benefits of set-aside. The consultation ends on 27 May and Ministers will be considering these responses before making a decision. It is anticipated that any measures, would be introduced from 2010 onwards.

Beekeeping

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps  (a) to promote beekeeping and  (b) encourage existing beekeepers to remain in the sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The National Bee Unit (NBU) provides a free comprehensive training and education programme for all beekeepers to enable them to develop their skills and become more self-reliant in combating disease problems through improved bee husbandry. In 2008, beekeepers in England benefited from nearly 23,000 colony inspections and an extensive programme of training, including over 800 technical events to date, delivered by the NBU to help improve disease control through good apiary management. Implementation of 'Healthy Bees', a 10-year plan to protect and improve the health of honey bees in England and Wales will help beekeepers develop their skills and thus continue beekeeping.

Beekeeping

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of beekeepers.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 12 March 2009
	An Economic Evaluation of bee health carried out by ADAS Consulting Ltd. in 2001 estimated that there were approximately 33,000 beekeepers and 230,000 colonies of bees in England. The Secretary of State recently announced additional funding of £4.3 million for bee health which includes supporting the implementation of the initial phase of a ten year plan to improve and protect the health of honey bees in England and Wales. One aim is to gain a more accurate picture of the numbers and distribution of beekeepers and the status of the health of their colonies.
	The additional funding allocation also includes £0.4 million per annum for five years which will be contributed to a wider research programme on pollinator decline.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to ensure early take-up by farmers of tests for bovine tuberculosis.

Jane Kennedy: Responsibility for ensuring legally required bovine tuberculosis (TB) tests are completed on time rests with cattle owners. However, Animal Health gives every cattle owner advance notification of the two to three-month period in which their test must be completed. These notification letters also make it clear that herd movement restrictions will be applied immediately a test becomes overdue—this provides motivation for herd owners to get tests completed on time, and reduces the risk of disease spread from herds with an unknown TB status. Veterinary practices are also advised of the test due dates for their client's herds.
	However, a significant number of TB tests are still not completed in the required timeframe. To help reduce this number, Animal Health is developing new, more robust enforcement protocols.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to expedite the collection of cattle infected with tuberculosis.

Jane Kennedy: Government recognise the importance attached to removing infected animals from farms as quickly as possible. Within England, Animal Health is meeting its current target of removing 90 per cent. of TB reactors within 20 working days—as at the end of December 2008 91.4 per cent. (18,102) of the reactors taken in England, since 1 April 2008, had been removed within 20 days.
	From 1 April 2009 the Animal Health target will be tightened further to 10 working days. This is a challenging target, one which Animal Health will only be able to meet if it has full co-operation from farmers and vets.

Departmental Absenteeism

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff from his Department missed at least  (a) 30,  (b) 50 and  (c) 99 days of work through illness in each of the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 11 March 2009
	The number of DEFRA staff who have missed at least 30, 50 and 99 days of work through illness in the core Department is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of staff 
			  Total working days absent in year  2006  2007  2008 
			 30 to 49 80 81 50 
			 50 to 98 72 66 41 
			 99+ 49 25 29 
		
	
	Record keeping practices vary across DEFRA's agencies and analysing the data by the categories requested would incur disproportionate cost. Data prior to 2006 are not available in the form requested.
	DEFRA has a policy for managing long-term sickness absence for its employees by facilitating timely employee access to occupational health and medical or well-being advice. Individuals are also encouraged to return to work through the use of occupational health expertise that enables them to undertake a structured programme of recuperative duties, helping them to return to full working hours as quickly as possible. All staff have a return to work interview with their manager.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what auditing his Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions  (a) IT security policies have been breached by employees and  (b) a member of staff has been sanctioned for a breach of such policies in the last 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Compliance arrangements comprise a system of self-assessment, accreditation, assurance reporting, audit and review. The Department undertakes a variety of audit activity and takes action when it is clear its IT security policies need to be updated. However, for security reasons, it would not be appropriate to provide details of the audit functions undertaken.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's IT security hierarchy.

Huw Irranca-Davies: It is not in the interest of the security of the Department, or that of the public, to place a copy of detailed information pertaining to the security of the Department's IT systems. Disclosing such information could assist criminals and those who would attempt to cause disruptive threats to the Department.

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on staff surveys in each of the last five years; and which companies were contracted to carry out the surveys.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department commissioned ORC International Ltd to run staff surveys in 2005, 2007 and 2008. The Department is currently participating with 10 other departments in a pilot Civil Service Employee Engagement Survey which is also being run by ORC International Ltd.
	Approximately £89,000 was spent in 2007-08, and approximately £31,000 has been spent or identified for spend in 2008-09 to date. It is not possible to identify expenditure in previous years.
	The first full Civil Service Employee Engagement Survey, covering over half a million civil servants, is planned for autumn 2009, and it is expected that this will deliver an overall saving for the Exchequer compared with the costs of departments carrying out surveys unilaterally.

Departmental Surveys

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on staff surveys in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008; and which companies were contracted to carry out surveys.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department commissioned ORC International Ltd. to run staff surveys in 2007 and 2008. The Department is currently participating with ten other departments in a pilot Civil Service Employee Engagement Survey which is also being run by ORC International Ltd.
	Approximately £89,000 was spent in 2007-08, and approximately £31,000 has been spent or identified for spend in 2008-09 to date.
	The first full Civil Service Employee Engagement Survey, covering over half a million civil servants, is planned for autumn 2009, and it is expected that this will deliver an overall saving for the Exchequer compared with the costs of Departments carrying out surveys unilaterally.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which beacon councils have been nominated for recognition of best practice in waste collection in the last 24 months.

Jane Kennedy: The 'Brecon councils' scheme is run by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA). Councils apply for beacon status, they are not nominated. The waste theme was run in 'IDeA round seven' and beacon status for March 2006 to July 2007 was awarded to 10 councils.
	The requested information of successful councils can be found at:
	http://www.beacons.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=5148251

Fisheries: International Cooperation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 9 October 2008,  Official Report, column 732W, on fisheries: international co-operation, what experience officials have had of the committee to date.

Huw Irranca-Davies: UK officials have attended these meetings and have found them a useful forum to discuss potential difficulties and agree practical solutions.

Floods: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many flood risk management projects  (a) in Greater London and  (b) on the Essex coastline his Department has identified for implementation.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 strategic tidal flood risk management plan for the Thames Estuary will show what actions are needed to manage flood risk through to the end of the century.
	In the Greater London area there are a total of 51 capital flood risk management schemes ongoing or planned to start within the next five years ranging in value from £100,000 to £11.4 million and significantly reducing flood risk to over 72,000 properties.
	The major capital schemes taking place in London are:
	Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Improvements
	Bermondsey and Deptford—Deptford Creek Tidal Frontages
	Barking and Dagenham—Tidal Sluice and Pumping Stations
	Salmons Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme (Enfield)
	Cobbins Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme (Waltham Abbey)
	The Environment Agency has a number of flood risk management projects that are at varying stages of implementation on the Essex Coast. One scheme that has just been completed is at Jaywick which cost £10 million.

Floods: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what flood prevention plans are being implemented around the Isle of Dogs.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency is producing a strategic tidal flood risk management plan for the Thames Estuary through to the end of the century—called Thames Estuary 2100. This includes the future management of the Isle of Dogs tidal defences and the Thames Barrier which provide protection to the area.
	The Environment Agency has worked to raise awareness of tidal flood risk in the Isle of Dogs and presentations have been provided to members of the business community in Canary Wharf. A flood exercise has been developed for the Financial Services Authority based on a breach in the Canary Wharf area to test emergency plans.
	Discussions on tidal flood risk and its impacts on transport in the area have been held with Transport for London, London Underground and Docklands Light Railway, and members of the community have signed up to receive the Environment Agency flood warning service.

Fly Tipping

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) successful prosecutions there were for fly-tipping in each local authority in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in each local authority in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the estimated cost was of dealing with such incidents.

Jane Kennedy: I am arranging for the data requested to be placed in the Library of the House.
	Data on the number of incidents of fly-tipping and the number of prosecutions taken by local authorities against fly-tippers is currently available for the last four years only.
	DEFRA's Flycapture system started collecting data on the number of incidents cleared and enforcement actions taken by local authorities in 2004.
	The estimated cost of clearing fly-tipped waste shown in these tables does not necessarily reflect the cost to the taxpayer as some authorities have structured their service contracts to include the cost of clearing fly-tipped waste.
	Prosecution is only one of a number of enforcement actions that local authorities can use against fly-tippers. Warning letters, statutory notices, formal cautions and injunctions are also used where appropriate.

Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Health on food security and public health.

Jane Kennedy: Following the machinery of government changes in October 2008, DEFRA has taken the lead in co-ordinating food policy across Government. As part of that we have introduced a new departmental strategic objective to ensure a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply. I regularly discuss food and health matters with ministerial colleagues—the new ministerial sub-committee on food (DA(F)) is another vital vehicle for this—and officials from DEFRA, the Department of Health, and other Departments are working together towards achieving objectives that we share on food.

Food: Waste Disposal

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of food waste which is organically produced.

Jane Kennedy: The DEFRA-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) undertook research in 2007 to quantify the amounts and types of household food waste produced in the UK. According to its report "The Food We Waste", UK households waste 6.7 million tonnes of food every year: around one third of the 21.7 million tonnes we purchase.
	No data was obtained to ascertain how much of that food was organically produced.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Maize

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on the early planting of MON-810 maize.

Huw Irranca-Davies: MON 810 was authorised for cultivation in 1998 under directive 90/220/EEC and has been grown in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic. While UK farmers are able to plant MON 810, the seed is not being marketed here.
	A farmer in Wales has claimed to have grown some MON 810 maize. However, it is not expected that MON 810 will be grown on a normal commercial basis in the UK. This maize is designed to be resistant to an insect pest, the European corn borer, which is not present in the UK, and the GM trait has been bred into maize varieties not suitable for UK conditions.

Livestock: Exports

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) unweaned calves,  (b) cattle,  (c) sheep and  (d) other livestock species were exported from the UK for (i) further fattening and (ii) slaughter in 2008.

Jane Kennedy: Data collected from the EU Commission's Trade Control Expert System (TRACES) indicates that the following numbers of live cattle, sheep, goats and pigs were certified by official veterinarians as meeting the intra-Community trade rules for dispatch from the United Kingdom to other EU member states for either further fattening or slaughter during 2008:
	
		
			   Number of animals certified for: 
			  Livestock type  Fattening  Slaughter  Total 
			 Cattle 84,484 17,597 102,081 
			 Sheep 58,416 256,447 314,863 
			 Goats 4 1 5 
			 Pigs 2710 26,001 28,711 
			 Total 145,614 300,046 445,660 
		
	
	Information on whether any of these animals were unweaned at the time of dispatch is not captured on TRACES, therefore this data is not available.
	The number of animals certified for export from the United Kingdom to countries outside of the EU is not recorded centrally, meaning that it is not possible to provide this data.

Private Finance Initiative

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-48WS, on Government infrastructure investment, whether any private finance initiative schemes relating to waste management are subject to  (a) cancellation,  (b) postponement or  (c) renegotiation.

Jane Kennedy: Following the recent announcement by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, my right hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) on Government infrastructure investment, no decisions have been made on private finance initiative (PFI) waste management schemes. Therefore at this time, none are subject to cancellation, postponement or renegotiation.
	However, any PFI deal in the procurement process could be subject to cancellation, postponement and renegotiation for any number of other commercial reasons.
	I can confirm that there are currently 19 waste PFI projects in procurement, with a further 11 currently in the application process for PFI credits which have not yet been granted approval by the Treasury.

Recycling: Carbon Emissions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been  (a) undertaken and  (b) evaluated into carbon dioxide emissions from recycling and transporting recyclable waste by (i) his Department, (ii) the Waste and Resources Action Programme, (iii) the Environment Agency and (iv) the Carbon Trust.

Jane Kennedy: As part of DEFRA's Waste and Resources Evidence Programme, we have undertaken the project 'Carbon Balances and Energy Impacts of the Management of UK Waste Streams' (WR0602), and evaluated it through peer review. An additional project, 'Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Biowaste Management' (WR0210), is in the final stages of completion following peer reviewers' comments.
	The DEFRA-funded Waste and Resources Programme (WRAP) has carried out a range of studies in this area which are available on their website:
	WRAP (2006) Environmental Benefits of Recycling;
	WRAP (2008) Life Cycle Assessment of Mixed Waste Plastic Management Options;
	WRAP (2008) Life Cycle Assessment of Plasterboard;
	WRAP (2008) CO2 Impacts of Transporting the UK's Recovered Paper and Plastic Bottles to China.
	WRAP's research has found that for most materials, the emissions from transportation are far outweighed by the savings from processes avoided by recycling. This is true even when exporting materials to the far east.
	The Environment Agency carried out research into emissions from recycling plant and fuel consumption for collecting waste in relation to its life cycle software, Waste and Resource Assessment Tool for the Environment (WRATE), which uses the data to estimate the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from different waste management systems.
	The Carbon Trust, in association with DEFRA, has co-sponsored the development of PAS (Publicly Available Specification) 2050—Specification for the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services—through the British Standards Institution. This specification details a method for the assessment of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases arising from all processes in the supply chain of goods and services, which includes recycling and the transport activities. Through its application, businesses can understand the carbon impact of their products and ultimately follow this up with tangible ways to cut carbon emissions across the supply chain.
	As part of the development and implementation of PAS 2050, the Carbon Trust has carried out research into the different methods used to measure these emissions, and sought to understand different stakeholder views of these methods; however, the Carbon Trust has not undertaken or evaluated specific research into the CO2 emissions from recycling and transportation of recyclable waste. Following the publication of PAS 2050, the Carbon Label Company has carried out further research into different methods of measuring emissions from recycling and transportation of recyclable waste to support its implementation.

Shellfish

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department has collected on the  (a) volume,  (b) monetary value and  (c) port of catch of (i) brown crabs, (ii) velvet crabs, (iii) lobsters, (iv) creel-caught langoustine, (v) whelks, (vi) squat lobsters, (vii) diver-caught or -gathered razor clams and (viii) diver-caught or -gathered king scallops in Scotland in each calendar quarter since 2006.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested is collected by the Scottish Government and is made available to the Marine and Fisheries Agency through the UK data warehouse, IFISH. The data requested is available for the years 2006 and 2007 and has been placed in the Library of the House.

Thames Flood Barrier

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the anticipated effective life expectancy of the Thames Barrier is; and if he will commission plans to upgrade or replace the existing Thames Barrier.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 Project estimates that under current guidance for sea level rise (DEFRA 2006), the Thames barrier will drop below the 1 in 1,000 standard of protection around 2070.
	The Thames Estuary 2100 project will release its draft plan for consultation on March 31. The plan will make recommendations on what actions will be required to manage future tidal flood risk within the estuary, and when these will be required, through to the end of the century. The plan will include recommendations on the future upgrading or replacement of the Thames barrier after 2070.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 869W, on waste disposal: domestic waste, to what use the funding committed to support waste incentive pilot schemes will now be put.

Jane Kennedy: No authorities have so far expressed an interest in using the powers in the Climate Change Act to pilot a waste reduction scheme. We are therefore considering how the funding earmarked for the pilots could best be focused, in line with departmental priorities.

Allergies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) males and  (b) females in each age group who have (i) food and (ii) inhalant allergies; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect this data.
	Food and inhalant and allergies may present in a variety of forms, including allergic rhinitis; asthma and inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The Department's "A review of services for allergy", published in July 2006 (a copy of which has been placed in the Library), provided data on annual prevalence of general practice consultation rates for these conditions. This information is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Annual prevalence (of consultation) rates per 10,000 
			Age s tandardised (95 per cent. CI)  All ages  < 1  1 -4  5-14  15-24  25-44  45-64  65-74  75+ 
			 Allergic rhinitis (477) M 152 (147-158) 152 5 112 308 241 143 86 84 77 
			  F 171 (165-177) 173 0 73 224 305 214 121 89 70 
			  Source: RCGP Weekly Returns Service. 
		
	
	
		
			  Annual prevalence (of consultation) rates per 10,000 
			Age s tandardised (95 per cent. CI)  All ages  < 1  1 -4  5-14  15-24  25-44  45-64  65-74  75+ 
			 Skin and subcutaneous tissue other inflamcond (690-698) M 564 (552-575) 554 2280 1525 558 360 381 497 723 823 
			  F 750 (737-763) 746 2201 1592 691 743 637 668 745 821 
			  Source: RCGP Weekly Returns Service. 
		
	
	
		
			  Annual prevalence (of consultation) per 10,000  by age and gender 
			Age s tandardised (95 per cent. CI)  All ages  < 1  1 -4  5-14  15-24  25-44  45-64  65-74  75+ 
			 Asthma (493) M 412 (403-422) 409 41 440 690 441 353 323 429 396 
			  F 482 (472-493) 484 16 282 501 609 472 488 546 411 
			  Source: RCGP Weekly Returns Service.

Childbirth

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 February 2009,  Official Report, column 634W, on childbirth, what use his Department has made of the figures on survival to age one of babies born in England and Wales by gestation weeks produced by the Office for National Statistics in its research into  (a) premature babies and  (b) neonatal deaths.

Ann Keen: The Department funds but does not directly undertake research concerned with premature birth and neonatal death. We expect the researchers we support to be aware and make appropriate use of vital statistics such as those published by the Office for National Statistics.

Chlamydia: Screening

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of Chlamydia tests carried out in  (a) genito-urinary medicine clinics,  (b) GP surgeries and  (c) pharmacies in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Data on the number of sexual health screens, which includes a test for Chlamydia, in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics between 2003 and 2007, the latest year for which figures are available, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Sexual health screens 
			   Number 
			 2003 633,289 
			 2004 727,010 
			 2005 810,140 
			 2006 883,488 
			 2007 1,022,801 
			  Notes: 1. One sexual health screen includes a test for Chlamydia and gonorrhoea at minimum and this is considered as one screen. 2. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for Chlamydia tests in GUM clinics only. Chlamydia tests in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset. 3. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of tests made, not the number of patients tested. 4. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data. 5. Data are unavailable for 2008  Source:  Health Protection Agency, KC60 returns 
		
	
	In addition to sexual health screens in GUM clinics, the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) provides screening for Chlamydia to asymptomatic people aged under 25 years of age in healthcare and non healthcare settings across England. The NCSP was launched in 2003. The following table shows the total number of Chlamydia tests done in general practice and pharmacies among 15-24 year-olds during the period 1 April 2003-31March 2008.
	
		
			  Venue type 
			   General practitioner surgeries  Pharmacies 
			 2003-04 2,445 0 
			 2004-05 7,426 36 
			 2005-06 17,281 8,272 
			 2006-07 23,271 113,309 
			 2007-08 43,046 9,052 
			  Notes: 1. Data includes Chlamydia tests for males, females, and those with unknown/unspecified sex. 2. Data presented are the number of Chlamydia tests performed and not number of people tested. It should be noted that number of Chlamydia tests collected through the NCSP will be used as a proxy for the number of people tested. 3. Data presented are based on tests with confirmed positive and negative results only. Tests with equivocal, inhibitory and insufficient results have been excluded as most people with these results are retested. 4. Data presented are based on young people resident in England only. 5. The total number of tests will increase annually as the NCSP was rolled out in phases across England with participation of all 152 primary care trusts occurring at the end of 2007-08. 6. The total number of tests done in pharmacies increased substantially in 2005-06 because the Boots Pathfinder pilot was run between November 2005 and March 2008. The pilot project was based on Chlamydia testing being made available in selected Boots pharmacies across London.  Source:  National Chlamydia Screening Programme

Clostridium

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 10 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 1882-3W, on clostridium, how often cancer was mentioned on the death certificates on which  (a) MRSA and  (b) clostridium difficile was mentioned in each year.

Ann Keen: The information is shown in the following tables. Figures for methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are for the year 1997 to 2007, and for  Clostridium difficile for the years 1999 and 2001 to 2007, the latest year for which figures are available.
	
		
			  Deaths involving Clostridium difficile( 1,2)  where cancer( 3)  was also mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales( 4) , 1999, 2001 to 2007( 5) 
			  Persons 
			   Deaths 
			 1999 74 
			 2001 94 
			 2002 132 
			 2003 160 
			 2004 236 
			 2005 394 
			 2006 796 
			 2007 1,168 
			 (1) Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics (ONS): Report: Deaths involving  Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-2005. Health Statistics Quarterly 33, 71-75. (2) Deaths involving  Clostridium difficile can only be identified using the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). This has been used by ONS for coding mortality from 2001 onwards and in 1999 for a bridge coding study. Data are therefore not available for 2000 when the Ninth Revision of the ICD was in use. (3) Cause of death for cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97. (4) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (5) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Deaths involving  Methicillin -resistant Staphylococcus aureus( 1)  where cancer( 2)  was also mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales( 3) , 1999 to 2007( 4) 
			  Persons 
			   Deaths 
			 1997 115 
			 1998 118 
			 1999 102 
			 2000 170 
			 2001 124 
			 2002 149 
			 2003 181 
			 2004 218 
			 2005 305 
			 2006 283 
			 2007 271 
			 (1) Identified using the methodology described in Griffiths C, Lamagni TL, Crowcroft NS, Duckworth G and Rooney C (2004). Trends in MRSA in England and Wales: analysis of morbidity and mortality data for 1993-2002. Health Statistics Quarterly 21, 15-22. (2) Cause of death for cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 140-208 for 1999 to 2000 and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 for 2001 to 2007. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the number of deaths from this cause, before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (3) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Clostridium

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 10 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 1882-83W, on clostridium, which five other conditions were mentioned most frequently on the death certificates on which  (a) MRSA and  (b) clostridium difficile was mentioned in each year; and how often each such condition was mentioned in each year.

Ann Keen: The information requested is shown in the following tables. Figures for Methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are available for the years 2001 to 2007, and for  Clostridium difficile for the years 1999 and 2001 to 2007, the latest year for which figures are available.
	
		
			  Table 1: The five causes of death( 1)  mentioned most frequently on death certificates on which MRSA( 2)  was also mentioned, England and Wales( 3) ,2001-07( 4,5) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Causes of death  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  ICD codes 
			 Cerebrovascular diseases * 140 * 174 265 * * I60-I69 
			 Diabetes 148 * * * * * 253 E10-E14 
			 Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 147 143 178 187 274 284 250 M00-M99 
			 Diseases of the urinary system 260 300 363 393 505 535 498 N00-N39 
			 Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease * * 175 * * 264 * I50-I51 
			 Influenza and pneumonia 206 192 246 264 401 401 453 J10-J18 
			 Ischaemic heart diseases 196 221 267 311 396 442 404 I20-I25 
			 (1) Selected using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code groups published in: Griffiths C, Rooney C and Brock A (2005) Leading causes of death in England and Wales—how should we group causes? "Health Statistics Quarterly" 28, p6-17. Codes used to identify MRSA deaths were excluded. (2) Identified using the methodology described in Griffiths C, Lamagni TL, Crowcroft NS, Duckworth G and Rooney C (2004). Trends in MRSA in England and Wales: analysis of morbidity and mortality data for 1993-2002. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 21, 15-22. (3 )Figures for England and Wales includes deaths of non-residents. (4) Data are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (5) An asterisk (*) denotes this was not one of the five causes of death mentioned most frequently in this year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The five causes of death( 1)  mentioned most frequently on death certificates on which Clostridium difficile( 2,3 ) was also mentioned, England and Wales( 4) , 1999 and 2001 to 2007( 5,6) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Causes of death  1999  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  ICD codes 
			 Cerebrovascular diseases * * * * * 468 769 1,057 I60-I69 
			 Diseases of the urinary system 173 216 302 381 535 894 1,657 2,086 N00-N39 
			 Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease1 31 166 182 232 290 * * * I50-I51 
			 Influenza and pneumonia 333 364 445 513 618 992 1,706 2,180 J10-J18 
			 Ischaemic heart diseases 183 223 244 373 433 675 1,199 1,604 I20-I25 
			 Septicaemia 145 202 280 349 461 816 1,459 1,627 A40-A41 
			 (1) Selected using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code groups published in: Griffiths C, Rooney C and Brock A (2005) Leading causes of death in England and Wales—how should we group causes? "Health Statistics Quarterly" 28, p6-17. Codes used to identify  Clostridium difficile deaths were excluded. (2 )Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics (ONS): Report: Deaths involving  Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-05. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 33, 71-75. (3) Deaths involving  Clostridium difficile can be identified using the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). This has been used by ONS for coding mortality from 2001 onwards and in 1999 for a bridge coding study. Data are therefore not available for 2000 when the Ninth Revision of the ICD was in use. (4) Figures for England and Wales includes deaths of non-residents. (5) Data are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (6) An asterisk (*) denotes this was not one of the five causes of death mentioned most frequently in this year

Hospitals: Cleaning Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1474W, on hospitals: cleaning services, what steps his Department has taken to evaluate the effectiveness of each of the steps to improve hospital cleanliness.

Ann Keen: The Department has given a strong public commitment to hospital cleanliness and has set in place a comprehensive programme of work that has improved cleaning standards across the national health service. Evaluation of the effectiveness of all the measures set in place is independently available via the Healthcare Commission's annual health check, its annual in-patient survey and its programme of specialist inspections of acute trusts to assess their compliance with the duties set out in the "Health Act 2006 Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections" ('hygiene code'). Cleaning standards are also measured via the annual Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) inspection programme.
	In addition, a number of other evaluations of the effectiveness of, or compliance with, particular measures are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Measure  Action taken 
			 National deep clean programme The Department published a compendium of good practice studies arising from the national deep clean programme, "From Deep Clean to Keep Clean learning from the deep clean programme" in October 2008, as a basis for shared learning across the NHS. 
			 National Specifications for cleanliness in the NHS The Department is currently working with National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) and key stakeholders to explore the scope for using these specifications to develop a national standard for cleanliness in the NHS. It is also seeking the views of those stakeholders to identify measures that could sharpen the focus of the existing national specifications. 
			 Trusts' strategic and operational cleaning plans make provision for on-going deep clean activity With the support of the NPSA, the PEAT protocol has been amended to include a specific question on plans for on-going deep cleaning. 
			 'Board to Ward' guidance highlighting the commitment needed to ensure that all staff understand the role they play in preventing infections and providing a clean environment "Going Further Faster II; Applying the learning to reduce HCAI and improve cleanliness" was published in June 2008 reflecting the accumulated learning, evidence and good practice on the key actions that NHS trusts can take towards the goal of eradicating avoidable healthcare associated infections and delivering a clean NHS. 
			 "Clean Safe Care Reducing Infections and saving lives"—comprehensive strategy drawing together key initiatives to tackle healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) and cleanliness The Department has commissioned an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Healthcare Associated Infection and Cleanliness Improvement programme (one strand of the 'Clean, safe care', strategy) with a specific focus on the work streams focused on reductions in the incidence of MRSA.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of infections which were caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococcus in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not available but reporting of clinically-significant glycopeptide resistant enterococci bloodstream infection has been mandatory for national health service acute trusts in England since September 2003.
	Glycopeptide resistant enterococci (GRE), includes organisms that are resistant to either vancomycin or teicoplanin and the available data are shown as follows.
	
		
			  Reporting year  (October to September each year)  Number of GRE bloodstream infection reports 
			 2003-04 628 
			 2004-05 757 
			 2005-06 903 
			 2006-07 910 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of healthcare-acquired infections which were classified as surgical site infections in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not available.
	A prevalence study, commissioned by the Department, carried out in 2006, showed that surgical site infection accounted for 14.5 per cent. of the health care associated infections.

Human Papilloma Virus

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has for the implementation of EU guidelines for quality assurance in cervical cancer screening on human papilloma virus testing as a follow-up for women with borderline or abnormal smear test results; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he plans to publish the results of his Department's human papilloma virus sentinel sites implementation project.

Ann Keen: Work on the implementation phase of human papilloma virus (HPV) triage for women with borderline and low-grade abnormalities using HPV testing has begun in six sentinel sites. Results from these sites are expected by the end of December 2009, at which point further roll out will be considered.

Maternity Services: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much has been spent on maternity services in each financial year since 1997-98; and how much he plans to spend on such services in each financial year to 2010-11;
	(2)  how much the Government has spent on maternity services in each financial year since 1997-98; and how much it plans to spend on such services in each financial year to 2010-11.

Ann Keen: Figures for the commissioning of secondary health care (maternity) services by primary care trusts (PCTs), health authorities (HAs) and primary care groups for the period 1997-98 to 2007-08 are in the following table. These figures are for secondary health care only and a similar collection is not made for primary/community maternity care.
	
		
			  Purchase of secondary health care: maternity services, 1997-98 to 2007-08 
			  Financial year  Expenditure (£000) 
			 1997-98 1,043,881 
			 1998-99 1,096,158 
			 1999-2000 1,080,520 
			 2000-01 1,258,219 
			 2001-02 1,324,780 
			 2002-03 1,256,757 
			 2003-04 1,350,286 
			 2004-05 1,544,838 
			 2005-06 1,677,204 
			 2006-07 1,616,777 
			 2007-08 1,786,896 
			  Source: NHS Summarised Accounts 1997-98 to 2007-08. 
		
	
	The table shows the aggregated expenditure for each year, however any inter-PCT or inter-HA expenditure is eliminated to avoid double counting.
	The programme budgeting figures for gross expenditure across both primary and secondary care on maternity and reproductive health for the period 2003-04 to 2006-07 are in the following table. It is not possible to separate maternity data from reproductive health data, and changes in data collection methodology means that comparative data is not available. Programme budgeting data were collected for the first time in 2003-04. The quality of programme budgeting data has improved over time, and there are a number of changes that will affect the use of the data for time-series analysis. These include changes to clinical coding and changes in the methodology used for calculating the data.
	Programme budgeting category 18 includes expenditure on both maternity and reproductive health, therefore direct comparisons cannot be made with NHS summarised accounts data.
	
		
			  Programme budgeting data 
			  Financial year  Expenditure (£000) 
			 2003-04 2,570,147 
			 2004-05 2,617,116 
			 2005-06 2,929,764 
			 2006-07 2,932,120 
		
	
	These figures have been published in the Department of Health resource accounts. Programme budgeting data for 2007-08 is still being collected and validated, and will include primary and secondary care maternity and reproductive health. This data will be published on the Department's website.
	Maternity services have been identified as a priority for the national health service in the operating frameworks for 2008-09 and 2009-10. For the period 2008-09 to 2010-11, £330 million additional investment for maternity is included within PCT revenue allocations. PCTs were informed of their revenue allocations for 2008-09 in December 2007. The 2009-10 and 2010-11 revenue allocations were announced on 8 December 2008. It is for NHS commissioners and trusts to plan the exact spend on maternity services in each financial year to 2010-11 in line with national and local priorities and local plans, including the strategic health authority visions for maternity and the new born developed as part of the NHS next stage review.

Maternity Services: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1478W, on maternity services: finance, how much additional funding he estimates NHS trusts in England will receive for the provision of maternity services in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11, broken down by the element of the maternity tariff through which the additional funding will be received.

Ann Keen: The payment by results national tariff pays national health service trusts for the amount of activity they do. Therefore the amount of additional funding that NHS trusts will receive for the provision of maternity services within the scope of the tariff in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11 will depend on levels of activity. The latest year for which hospital activity data are available is 2007-08.

Maternity Services: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1478W, on maternity services finance, what percentage changes there will be to each element of the maternity tariff in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Ann Keen: In 2009-10, Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) version 4 has replaced HRG version 3.5 as the tariff currency. There have also been structural changes to the out-patients tariff. These changes mean that it is not possible to make direct comparisons between 2008-09 and 2009-10. The 2010-11 tariff has not been published.

Medical Treatments: Labelling

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet  (a) the British Brands Group and  (b) the Anti Counterfeiting Group to discuss healthcare product branding.

Ann Keen: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for regulating medicines and medical devices and is responsible for branding of medicines and the tackling of counterfeiting of medicines.
	To date, no requests have been made by either of these groups to meet with the Secretary of State for Health or other Health Ministers.
	However, any such request to the Minister would be considered.

Medicines

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies his Department has undertaken into competition in provision of pharmaceutical products by high street pharmacies and GP practices.

Phil Hope: The Department has not undertaken a formal study. However, we sought views on a proposal to allow, where there is no convenient alternative, dispensing doctors to sell over the counter medicines as part of our wider consultation last autumn, "Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future—proposals for legislative change".
	We published a partial impact assessment concerning this proposal with that consultation which includes a competition assessment that sets out our analysis of the possible effects on competition of the proposal. It is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Closedconsultations
	and a copy has been placed in the Library.
	The proposal was also discussed at events around the country as part of the consultation process. A full report of that consultation will be published in due course.

NHS: Working Hours

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the tariff uplift breakdown for 2009-10, published by his Department on 5 February 2009, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's background analysis of the sum required to support compliance with the European Working Time Directive.

Ann Keen: The European Working Time Directive (EWTD) requires a 14 per cent. reduction in the maximum working hours of doctors in training, from 56 to 48 from August 2009. This equates to the hours provided by around 4,000 doctors in training. Implementation can be through a range of measures, including additional medical work force capacity at either junior or senior level, new ways of working so that non-medical staff can take up duties currently done by doctors in training or through service redesign such as implementing hospital at night working practices.
	The Department is making a total of £310 million available by 2009-10 to support implementation in recurrent PCT allocations. In 2008-09, £110 million was included in the quantum of allocation funding in all primary care trusts (PCTs) receiving revenues growth of 5.5 per cent. In 2009-10, a further £200 million has been included in PCT revenue allocations, of which £150 million will flow through tariff income to trusts and the remaining £50 million in PCT revenue allocations will be targeted to trusts according to strategic health authority (SHA) direction to support trained doctor solutions, particularly in paediatrics and anaesthetics.
	The Department has estimated that the full cost of implementation could be around £300 million per year. This calculation is based on an analysis of the difference in doctors being 100 per cent. compliant at 56 hours and 100 per cent. compliant at 48 hours, so includes a valuation of:
	difference in pay to existing doctors; and
	assessment of the value of hours lost.
	This level of detail information of the background analysis is not held centrally.

Obesity

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to introduce a more easily understandable measure of obesity.

Ann Keen: Obesity in adults is measured using Body Mass Index (BMI). It compares weight to height by dividing the weight measurement in kilograms, by the square of the height in metres. BMI is the internationally recognised standard for identifying overweight and obesity. An adult who has a BMI equal to 30 or greater is classified as obese.
	In children defining obesity is more difficult because they are growing, and so both their height and weight changes at the same time. In children, standard United Kingdom reference charts for weight relative to height are used which are age and gender specific.
	We have no current plans for changing the existing measurement of obesity.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are  (a) in place and  (b) planned to assist people on low incomes with prescription charges.

Ann Keen: The current mechanisms in place for entitlement to free prescriptions on the basis of a low income are as follows.
	(1) People receiving the following:
	income support,
	income based jobseeker's allowance,
	income related employment and support allowance, or
	pension credit guarantee credit (in respect of a partner under 60 as the recipient would be exempt on age grounds); or
	(2) A member of a family that is receiving:
	working tax credit with child tax credit,
	working tax credit that includes a disability or severe disability element, or
	child tax credit but is not eligible for working tax credit, and
	the annual income of the family for tax credit purposes is £15,050 or less (or £15,276 from 6 April 2009);
	(3) An asylum seeker for whom support is provided under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
	(4) A person who lives permanently in a care home whose fees are paid in whole or part by a local authority;
	(5) A young person supported by a local authority as he/she has just left care; and
	(6) Anyone not in any of the above groups may make a National Health Service Low Income scheme claim for their entitlement to free prescriptions to be calculated by the National Health Service Business services Authority.
	Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) for three months or 12 months are available for anyone who is not otherwise entitled to free prescriptions. PPCs offer savings to anyone who needs four or more prescription items in three months or 14 or more items in 12 months. 12 month PPCs may be paid for by 10 direct debit instalments.
	We recognise we need a fairer system of prescription charging. That is why the Prime Minister announced in September last year that exemption from prescription charges would be extended to cancer patients and to patients with other long-term conditions. In this way, we will alleviate the financial burden for those suffering from ill health.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with  (a) Welsh Assembly Government Ministers,  (b) Scottish Executive Ministers and  (c) Northern Ireland Executive Ministers on levels of prescription charges.

Ann Keen: We have had no such discussions. Prescription charging is a devolved matter and decisions in this area are for each devolved administration to determine.

Christmas Bonus: Advertising

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much his Department and its agencies have spent on informing the public of the extra one-off payment of £60 to Christmas bonus recipients; and in which publications and broadcasting outlets such advertisements have been placed;
	(2)  how much his Department and its agencies spent on placing the advertisement which appeared in the Sunday Times on 11 January 2009 relating to the one-off payment of £60 to Christmas bonus recipients; what other publications this advertisement was placed in; at what cost; and whether he approved the text in the advertisement.

Rosie Winterton: The advertising was booked and bought together to provide coverage across key media titles. The total media cost for the week's advertising was £75,110.92.
	The advert was placed in the following 19 daily and weekly titles:
	The Sun
	Daily Mirror
	Daily Star
	Daily Mail
	Daily Telegraph
	The Independent
	The Times
	Daily Express
	The Guardian
	The News of the World
	Sunday Mirror
	The People
	Daily Star Sunday
	Sunday Express
	Mail on Sunday
	Sunday Telegraph
	Independent on Sunday
	Sunday Times
	The Observer
	The advertising was undertaken to make pensioners, and their family and friends, aware of the additional Christmas bonus payment they will receive, announced in the Pre Budget Report on 24 November 2008.
	The advertising explained that the payment would be made separately from the usual Christmas bonus and could be received at any time between January and March. It aimed to ensure that pensioners understood what the payment was and when they would receive it; and thus also to limit calls to the Department's contact centres.
	The additional Christmas Bonus payment was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his 2008 Pre-Budget Report as one means of providing short-term support to help vulnerable groups through the economic downturn. The words 'real help now' appear on all public facing communications designed to promote support for the public and business during the economic downturn.
	Given that some 15 million individuals will receive this additional payment advertising was deemed the most cost-effective way of communicating information to this group of our customers. The alternative way of reaching this group directly was through direct mail which would have been less efficient in this instance (estimated mailing costs to reach a group of this size are approximately £3.3 million).
	The advertising copy was approved by senior officials in the Department for Work and Pensions and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service. Ministers were informed of the planned activity.

Departmental Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1613W, on departmental telephone services, how much revenue was generated by the 0845 numbers used by  (a) his Department and  (b) its executive agencies for public access services in each of the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: DWP and its executive agencies do not receive any revenue from incoming phone calls to 0845 numbers used for public access services.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account his Department took of the requirements of section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 when deciding to post giro cheques for local housing allowance to tenants at multi-occupancy addresses; how many such giro cheques have been stolen; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: h olding answer  9 March 2009
	Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 places a duty on authorities, including local authorities, to consider the likely crime and disorder implications of the functions that they carry out.
	Local housing allowance is normally paid direct into bank accounts so the instances of issuing local housing allowance cheques should be minimal. Not being able to open a suitable bank account was accepted under the safeguards as grounds for reverting to payment of local housing allowance to the landlord, particularly in the case of people living in housing in multiple occupation.
	We do not collect any statistical information from local authorities specifically on instrument of payment fraud. However, the potential of fraud is expected to be very small given the drive for direct payment into bank accounts and the provisions of the safeguards which allow for reverting to payment of local housing allowance to the landlord in certain circumstances. We are closely monitoring how the scheme is working in practice and will undertake a review during the first two years of national operation.

Members: Correspondence

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central of 5 November 2008, regarding Brian Hold.

Jonathan R Shaw: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 27 November 2008.

Pensioners: Carer's Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 43W, on carer's allowance, if he will estimate the cost of extending payment to all those of pension age assessed as eligible; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The increase in annual carer's allowance expenditure as a result of the extension described would be around £950 million.
	It should be noted that unless major changes to rules on how carer's allowance is treated within pension credit were to be introduced, the overall Exchequer cost of such a measure would be smaller due to the offsetting reduction in pension credit expenditure.
	 Notes:
	1. £950 million figure is the annual cost using 2008-09 benefit rates and August 2008 Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study data to produce a caseload estimate.
	2. The figure is rounded to the nearest £50 million.

Children: Internet

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what guidance his Department gives to schools and colleges on ways to promote on line safety and security as part of information technology classes;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of courses on information technology in schools and colleges in promoting the safe and secure use of the internet;
	(3)  what information school pupils are given as part of classes on information technology on measures to protect their computer systems from external threats.

Jim Knight: As the Government's lead agency for technology in schools, Becta have provided advice to schools and colleges on issues of e-safety since 1998. This advice enables schools to assess pupils within their normal local and national practices—key stage tests and examinations.
	The revised secondary curriculum level descriptors contain intrinsic references to e-safety in the ICT programme of study and there are also references in other curriculum areas, for example in Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHEE).
	Becta is working with the QCA and Sir Jim Rose to ensure that the primary curriculum adequately reflects the skills, knowledge and understanding that children need to develop to stay safe online.
	In addition, there are a number of freely available national resources for learners and teachers to develop skill and capability, for example, Childnet's know-it-all resources. The National Strategies have also recently developed new materials on e-safety; these materials have been distributed through local authorities and conferences and have been well received. The materials focus primarily on the more technical aspects of e-safety for example protecting data, understanding firewalls etc.
	Ofsted have recently published the School Self Evaluation—A Response to the Byron Review which made reference to schools having good acceptable use policies. It highlighted the need for schools to be better at evaluating the effectiveness of these policies. Becta recently published its revised advice in relation to acceptable use policies to support schools and other institutions where children have access to technology in developing and evaluating good policies and practices.

Private Education: Greater London

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 11 October 2007,  Official Report, column 688W, on private education: Greater London, what the equivalent figures are for 2008.

Jim Knight: holding answer 13 March 2009
	 The requested information is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Independent schools( 1) : number and percentage of pupils aged 5 to 10 and 11 to 15( 2) ,( ) position in January 2008, each London borough 
			   Pupils aged 5 to 10  Pupils aged 11 to 15 
			   Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3) 
			 England 198,480 5.6 233,710 7.4 
			 London 52,570 9.8 43,740 10.2 
			  
			  Inner London 26,800 13.4 20,020 13.9 
			 Camden 3,570 28.9 1,820 19.2 
			 City of London 410 69.4 1,110 100.0 
			 Hackney 3,470 20.7 1,470 16.4 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,180 22.9 2,180 27.6 
			 Haringey 840 4.9 980 8.0 
			 Islington 270 2.4 150 1.9 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5,430 50.3 2,540 45.4 
			 Lambeth 930 5.7 430 4.7 
			 Lewisham 620 3.6 820 6.6 
			 New ham 340 1.5 320 1.7 
			 Southwark 1,430 7.7 2,330 15.8 
			 Tower Hamlets 230 1.4 780 5.6 
			 Wandsworth 4,390 25.0 2,380 19.4 
			 Westminster 2,680 24.1 2,720 27.8 
			  
			  Outer London 25,780 7.6 23,720 8.3 
			 Barking and Dagenham 60 0.4 10 0.1 
			 Barnet 2,320 10.2 2,470 12.7 
			 Bexley 520 3.1 0 0.0 
			 Brent 750 3.9 730 4.8 
			 Bromley 1,820 8.4 1,550 7.9 
			 Croydon 2,350 9.2 2,970 13.5 
			 Ealing 2,000 8.9 1,930 11.7 
			 Enfield 900 3.9 430 2.2 
			 Greenwich 1,140 6.6 1,030 7.8 
			 Harrow 1,370 8.7 2,160 16.5 
			 Havering 490 3.0 140 0.9 
			 Hillingdon 1,620 8.1 1,370 8.2 
			 Hounslow 640 4.2 300 2.2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,310 12.8 1,540 17.0 
			 Merton 1,630 13.0 1,220 13.3 
			 Redbridge 2,150 10.2 830 4.8 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,410 24.6 3,620 34.0 
			 Sutton 820 6.6 510 3.7 
			 Waltham Forest 480 2.7 940 6.6 
			 (1) Excludes city technology colleges and academies. (2 )Age as at 31 August in previous year (start of academic year). (3 )Number of pupils in independent schools expressed as a percentage of number of pupils in same age group across all schools (excludes dually registered pupils).  Note: National and regional totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Sefton

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1298-1300W, how many grants his Department has administered in Sefton in each year since 1995.

Jim Knight: The tables showing the grants allocated by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to Sefton for each year since 1995-96, broken down between revenue and capital funding, will be placed in the House Libraries.
	The revenue grant totals for 2006-07 onwards are not comparable with figures in 2005-06 and before, because the introduction of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded for Education Services.
	Before 2006-07 local authorities were funded through Education Formula Spending (EFS). This formed part of the annual Local Government Finance Settlement. EFS comprised school functions and local education authority (LEA) central functions, whereas DSG only covers the school functions. The DSG is based on each local authority's spend on schools in 2005-06, uprated each year for cost pressures and adjusted for changes in pupil numbers. LEA central functions are still funded through the Local Government Finance Settlement but cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable. For information, the EFS figures for Sefton for 1997-98 to 2005-06 were:
	
		
			   £ million (cash) 
			 1997-98 106.7 
			 1998-99 116.5 
			 1999-2000 122.2 
			 2000-01 128.2 
			 2001-02 132 
			 2002-03 129.6 
			 2003-04 139.6 
			 2004-05 145.5 
			 2005-06 151.2 
			  Notes: 1. Equivalent data are not available prior to 1997-98. 2. Before 2003-04, called Education Standard Spending (ESS). 3. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of ESS/EFS settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC. 4. Where responsibility for funding a school has transferred from an authority, related funding no longer appears in the series. 
		
	
	The Reducing Class Size revenue grants and the Nursery Education Grant were transferred to Education Formula Spending in 2003-04.
	The Teachers Threshold and Performance Pay Grant was transferred to Dedicated Schools Grant in 2006-07.
	Children's Services grant transferred to the Formula Grant paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2008-09.
	Capital figures include supported borrowing allocations. Allocations for targeted capital projects are shown in the year the project started.
	The tables do not include children social care services grants before 2004-05 as responsibility for children social care services was transferred to this Department, from the Department of Health, in 2004-05.
	The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) were established under Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. The response only covers those areas of responsibility for children and schools held by their predecessor the Department for Education and Skills and the DCSF.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1317W, on special educational needs, which 10 non-maintained special schools had 100 or more pupils.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Non-maintained special schools with 100 or more pupils( 1) , position as at January 2008, England 
			  LA number  LA name  School name 
			 869 West Berkshire Mary Hare Grammar School 
			 936 Surrey National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy, St. Piers School 
			 392 North Tyneside Percy Hedley School 
			 886 Kent Royal School for Deaf Children and Westgate College for Deaf People 
			 878 Devon West of England School 
			 846 Brighton and Hove St. John's School, Brighton 
			 845 East Sussex St. Mary's Wrestwood Children's Trust 
			 850 Hampshire Treloar School 
			 831 Derby Royal School for the Deaf, Derby 
			 344 Wirral West Kirby Residential School 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils.  Source: School Census.

Civil Servants: Vacancies

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what job vacancies have been advertised on the  (a) public version and  (b) Civil Service-only version of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway in the last 12 months; and what the (i) job specification, (ii) job title, (iii) sponsoring body and (iv) salary range of the position advertised was in each case;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1184W, on civil servants: vacancies, what criteria are used to decide whether a vacancy is advertised on the public part of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway or on the staff-only section;
	(3)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1184W, on civil servants: vacancies, whether an equality impact assessment has been made of the criteria used to decide whether a vacancy is advertised on the public part of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway or the staff-only section;
	(4)  what procedures govern the advertisement of vacancies by  (a) Government Departments,  (b) Executive agencies and  (c) non-departmental public bodies on the (i) publicly accessible and (ii) internal parts of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway;
	(5)  what the Civil Service policy is on advertising Civil Service vacancies on the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway;
	(6)  pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 202, on public information, what progress has been made on improving access to vacancies for Civil Service jobs;
	(7)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1184W, on civil servants: vacancies, how many of the jobs advertised on the staff-only part of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway were subsequently advertised on the public part of the site.

Tom Watson: There is no policy requirement for Government Departments and Executive agencies to advertise their vacancies on the Recruitment Gateway. However, the expectation is that all civil service jobs should be advertised on the Gateway.
	Government Departments and Executive agencies have delegated responsibility for recruitment advertising. Each Department determines its own policies on where they advertise their vacancies and have responsibility for assessing the equality impact of those policies.
	Civil service vacancies are advertised internally first to surplus staff facing redundancy, in line with the "Protocol on Handling Surplus Staff", which came into effect on 1 April 2008. The civil service redeployment policy is comparable to the policies of other companies and organisations in handling surplus staff.
	The Civil Service Recruitment Gateway has published a total of 8,456 vacancies in the past 12 months, of which, 4,474 were advertised to the general public and 3,982 within the civil service. Providing answers to the specific queries relating to each post and whether internal vacancies were subsequently advertised to the public can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	On 25 February a new Jobs Online site went live in Beta, which replaces the former Recruitment Gateway. This provides for external civil service jobs to be available in the one place and in a single format, easily accessible to jobseekers. As we develop the site, other organisations will all be able to link to the site and jobseekers will be able to quickly find individual jobs using search engines.

Departmental Data Protection

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what period of time elapses before his Department's electronic records are  (a) archived and  (b) destroyed; and what percentage of such records created in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008 have been destroyed.

Tom Watson: Cabinet Office records are maintained in a electronic records management system and will either be (i) transferred to The national archives in line with our statutory obligations, or (ii) deleted from the system in accordance with disposal and retention schedules currently being developed. No formal records were deleted in 2007 and 2008 although duplicates and user training examples were routinely removed.

Departmental Standards

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 475W, on departmental standards, what steps  (a) his Department and  (b) 10 Downing Street is taking to reduce levels of avoidable contact with members of the public.

Tom Watson: The role of the Cabinet Office is to coordinate and monitor the work of departments in reducing avoidable contact associated with the delivery of their services to citizens and businesses.

Government Departments: Petitions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will take steps to ensure Government departments respond to petitions in the same manner required of local authorities will be required to under the provisions of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill if enacted.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given in the other place to the noble Lord Greaves on 5 March 2009,  Official Report,  House of Lords, columns WA 182-3.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 22 May 2008,  Official Report, column 392W, on apprentices, what progress has been made on the establishment of apprenticeships in his Department; and how many apprentices his Department employed at the latest date for which figures are available.

Si�n Simon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 February 2009,  Official Report, column 741W.

Education: Offenders

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much the Offender Learning and Skills Service has spent on training opportunities available in  (a) probation centres and  (b) other institutions in each year for which figures are available; and how much it plans to spend in each of the next two years.

Si�n Simon: The Offender Learning and Skills Service was introduced across England from August 2006, part way through the 2006/07 financial year. In financial year 2006-07 and 2007-08 the Offender Learning and Skills Service budget for offenders in the community was 9.5 million and 9.2 million respectively, resources flowing from the previous spending round focussed on enhancing the delivery of Skills for Life to offenders in the community. From the start of the 2008-09 financial year, the learning needs of offenders in the community have been met from the Learning and Skills Council's mainstream learning budgets.
	It is not possible to determine what proportion of this budget was spent in probation centres and what proportion elsewhere.
	The Offender Learning and Skills Service budget in 2006-07 for delivery to young offenders aged 17 and under and for adult prisoners was 98.4 million, in 2007-08 the equivalent budget was 155.4 million and in 2008-09 was 161.7 million. This Department's planned expenditure through the Offender Learning and Skills Service for 2009-10 is 132.3 million.
	This figure does not include funding from the Department for Children, Schools and Families in respect of young offenders aged 17 and under, and will be subject to additional allocations for learning delivery resulting from the Ministry of Justice's expansion of prison places.

Education: Offenders

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many learner places were funded by the Offender Learning and Skills Service in  (a) probation centres and  (b) other institutions in each year for which figures are available.

Si�n Simon: The Offender Learning and Skills Service was introduced across England from the start of the 2006/07 academic year.
	The Offender Learning and Skills Service is focussed on learners in prison. We had an additional budget of 9.5 million in 2006-07 and 9.2 million in 2007-08 to boost participation for offenders serving community sentences, mostly for Skills for Life. But as this was mainstream learning we have no data on the number of enrolments by offenders in the community, either in probation centres or in mainstream learning.
	The Offender Learning and Skills Service funded a total of 240,045 enrolments in 2006/07 and 299,939 in 2007/08 in prisons and young offender institutions.

Further Education: Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will take steps to ensure the continuation of the capital funding programme for further education colleges.

Si�n Simon: Since 1997 more than 2 billion has been invested in modernising further education facilities and we will spend another 2.3 billion in the current spending review period.
	This Government have already confirmed its intention that the current Further education capital programme will continue after 2010-11 under the management of the new Skills Funding Agency. The amount of funding available will depend upon the outcome of Government's next spending review.

Anti-Semitism: Children

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1253W, on anti-Semitism: children, if she will make it her policy to record the circumstances behind each such case; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The Government intend to introduce a new statutory duty on schools to record all incidents of bullying between pupils. We are planning to launch a full public consultation in May on draft regulations, and will be consulting on making it compulsory for incidents of bullying to be recorded by type, as related to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality etc.

Antisocial Behaviour: Alcoholic Drinks

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been issued with penalty notice disorders for being drunk and disorderly in each of the last three years.

Alan Campbell: The number of people that have been issued with penalty notice disorders for being drunk and disorderly in England and Wales from 2005 to 2007 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued for being drunk and disorderly, England and Wales, 2005 to 2007, broken down by age, sex and police force area( 1) 
			2005  2006  2007 
			  Force  Age  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  Avon and Somerset 16-17 7  11 1 10 1 
			  18-20 70 11 57 5 58 10 
			  21 and over 221 69 138 31 161 25 
			  Total 298 80 206 37 229 36 
			 
			  Bedfordshire 16-17 14 4 12 3 10 2 
			  18-20 54 10 57 12 42 4 
			  21 and over 194 32 191 29 184 23 
			  Total 262 46 260 44 236 29 
			 
			  British Transport Police( 1) 16-17   7 2 29 2 
			  18-20   73 4 94 7 
			  21 and over   457 58 653 85 
			  Total   537 64 776 94 
			 
			  Cambridgeshire 16-17 15 1 14  18 3 
			  18-20 81 21 59 12 84 11 
			  21 and over 285 44 237 39 278 34 
			  Total 381 66 310 51 380 48 
			 
			  Cheshire 16-17 13 4 7 2 25 3 
			  18-20 32 2 17 6 120 22 
			  21 and over 126 26 68 29 358 77 
			  Total 171 32 92 37 503 102 
			 
			  City of London 16-17 31  
			  18-20 11  18 1 21 5 
			  21 and over 93 6 172 13 230 27 
			  Total 107 6 190 14 252 32 
			 
			  Cleveland 16-17 42 19 20 3 31 12 
			  18-20 170 30 66 13 112 18 
			  21 and over 384 77 165 29 290 83 
			  Total 596 126 251 45 433 113 
			 
			  Cumbria 16-17 50 12 46 12 12 3 
			  18-20 168 31 164 33 178 21 
			  21 and over 337 80 367 95 430 96 
			  Total 555 123 577 140 620 120 
			 
			  Derbyshire 16-17 50 10 51 13 53 12 
			  18-20 133 17 147 22 180 23 
			  21 and over 281 80 363 84 428 85 
			  Total 464 107 561 119 661 120 
			 
			  Devon and Cornwall 16-17 67 17 91 26 78 14 
			  18-20 339 56 504 62 453 60 
			  21 and over 1,049 186 1,218 223 969 168 
			  Total 1,455 259 1,813 311 1,500 242 
			 
			  Dorset 16-17 4  5 4 13 1 
			  18-20 26 7 54 2 42 5 
			  21 and over 82 10 102 12 130 16 
			  Total 112 17 161 18 185 22 
			  Durham 16-17 8 2 5 1 4  
			  18-20 234 40 139 39 240 37 
			  21 and over 398 101 297 61 496 125 
			  Total 640 143 441 101 740 162 
			 
			  Essex 16-17 39 6 40 10 22 2 
			  18-20 139 22 185 27 91 14 
			  21 and over 403 63 551 92 293 56 
			  Total 581 91 776 129 406 72 
			 
			 
			  Gloucestershire 16-17 14 1 10 4 10 4 
			  18-20 51 13 34 7 22 5 
			  21 and over 229 43 132 29 88 11 
			  Total 294 57 176 40 120 20 
			 
			  Greater Manchester 16-17 36 9 26 6 24 12 
			  18-20 108 14 58 7 68 16 
			  21 and over 330 76 210 41 231 44 
			  Total 474 99 294 54 323 72 
			 
			  Hampshire 16-17 63 6 17 7 18 6 
			  18-20 247 22 122 17 148 21 
			  21 and over 604 104 370 45 346 46 
			  Total 914 132 509 69 512 73 
			 
			  Hertfordshire 16-17 24 7 20 4 21 2 
			  18-20 95 11 42 7 80 14 
			  21 and over 183 29 137 25 145 26 
			  Total 302 47 199 36 246 42 
			 
			  Humberside 16-17 46 8 56 19 42 11 
			  18-20 155 24 224 37 151 21 
			  21 and over 378 73 599 81 385 65 
			  Total 579 105 879 137 578 97 
			 
			  Kent 16-17 102 19 111 27 125 29 
			  18-20 390 46 400 53 514 66 
			  21 and over 868 178 1,120 208 1,289 244 
			  Total 1,360 243 1,631 288 1,928 339 
			 
			  Lancashire 16-17 330 84 379 107 426 126 
			  18-20 992 128 1,043 183 1,188 227 
			  21 and over 2,684 538 2,733 550 3,181 750 
			  Total 4,006 750 4,155 840 4,795 1,103 
			 
			  Leicestershire 16-17 4  1  7 3 
			  18-20 22 4 12 1 81 10 
			  21 and over 54 7 56 7 293 36 
			  Total 80 11 69 8 381 49 
			 
			  Lincolnshire 16-17 5 1 11  5  
			  18-20 21 3 19 4 15 2 
			  21 and over 42 6 53 11 51 4 
			  Total 68 10 83 15 71 6 
			 
			  Merseyside 16-17 268 74 267 88 248 74 
			  18-20 772 124 681 118 725 136 
			  21 and over 1,999 437 1,801 398 2,243 469 
			  Total 3,039 635 2,749 604 3,216 679 
			 
			  Metropolitan Police 16-17 80 13 67 20 68 16 
			  18-20 468 48 404 59 372 66 
			  21 and over 2,895 484 2,806 448 2,572 400 
			  Total 3,443 545 3,277 527 3,012 482 
			 
			  Norfolk 16-17 5 1 1  8  
			  18-20 24 4 19 4 62 7 
			  21 and over 95 20 74 16 184 23 
			  Total 124 25 94 20 254 30 
			 
			  Northamptonshire 16-17 40 12 44 14 17 2 
			  18-20 150 26 126 7 78 11 
			  21 and over 367 62 310 61 222 26 
			  Total 557 100 480 82 317 39 
			 
			  Northumbria 16-17 21 5 173 55 203 73 
			  18-20 386 70 876 186 1,066 270 
			  21 and over 804 149 2,224 471 2,610 817 
			  Total 1,211 224 3,273 712 3,879 1,160 
			 
			  North Yorkshire 16-17   36 10 50 29 
			  18-20 171 28 234 38 264 36 
			  21 and over 517 94 589 111 623 99 
			  Total 688 122 859 159 937 164 
			 
			  Nottinghamshire 16-17 21 7 19 4 28 6 
			  18-20 164 24 106 18 152 17 
			  21 and over 403 51 310 65 356 66 
			  Total 588 82 435 87 536 89 
			 
			  South Yorkshire 16-17 89 22 150 45 144 49 
			  18-20 502 72 543 91 592 107 
			  21 and over 1,299 286 1,323 288 1,546 282 
			  Total 1,890 380 2,016 424 2,282 438 
			 
			  Staffordshire 16-17 21 5 31 4 27 4 
			  18-20 104 15 89 7 96 16 
			  21 and over 258 51 247 55 245 45 
			  Total 383 71 367 66 368 65 
			 
			  Suffolk 16-17 26 2 17 2 3  
			  18-20 110 10 103 8 26 2 
			  21 and over 226 30 225 21 55 12 
			  Total 362 42 345 31 84 14 
			 
			  Surrey 16-17 7 2 10 5 16 4 
			  18-20 93 15 114 12 72 11 
			  21 and over 233 51 325 64 183 58 
			  Total 333 68 449 81 271 73 
			 
			  Sussex 16-17 89 20 66 11 59 19 
			  18-20 323 57 376 49 373 57 
			  21 and over 906 167 941 156 929 174 
			  Total 1,318 244 1,383 216 1,361 250 
			 
			  Thames Valley 16-17 4  13 6 8 4 
			  18-20 78 9 69 7 80 12 
			  21 and over 224 17 163 25 227 32 
			  Total 306 26 245 38 315 48 
			 
			  Warwickshire 16-17 9  9 1 8 1 
			  18-20 33 5 11  29 10 
			  21 and over 69 11 36 3 66 6 
			  Total 111 16 56 4 103 17 
			 
			  West Mercia 16-17 41 4 51 13 38 5 
			  18-20 130 9 191 26 148 34 
			  21 and over 234 32 377 61 350 51 
			  Total 405 45 619 100 536 90 
			 
			  West Midlands 16-17 86 19 110 42 179 37 
			  18-20 373 40 600 74 849 107 
			  21 and over 1,056 184 1,616 223 2,321 359 
			  Total 1,515 243 2,326 339 3,349 503 
			 
			  West Yorkshire 16-17 122 21 257 49 152 34 
			  18-20 427 52 831 136 659 108 
			  21 and over 1,188 244 2,129 428 1,565 336 
			  Total 1,737 317 3,217 613 2,376 478 
			 
			  Wiltshire 16-17 6  18 6 15 6 
			  18-20 93 8 90 15 72 4 
			  21 and over 237 38 233 42 176 24 
			  Total 336 46 341 63 263 34 
			 
			  Dyfed-Powys 16-17 19 3 19 1 13  
			  18-20 87 8 82 15 63 4 
			  21 and over 266 35 224 46 174 32 
			  Total 372 46 325 62 250 36 
			 
			  Gwent 16-17 22 2 12 2 16  
			  18-20 56 10 72 4 54 4 
			  21 and over 121 20 173 22 119 17 
			  Total 199 32 257 28 189 21 
			 
			  North Wales 16-17 83 14 116 32 100 27 
			  18-20 301 29 293 44 274 27 
			  21 and over 664 115 704 118 680 113 
			  Total 1,048 158 1,113 194 1,054 167 
			 
			  South Wales 16-17 24 2 61 10 21 4 
			  18-20 109 14 166 28 72 5 
			  21 and over 281 65 464 96 212 51 
			  Total 414 81 691 134 305 60 
			 
			  England and Wales 16-17 2,019 438 2,487 671 2,405 642 
			  18-20 8,492 1,189 9,570 1,500 10,160 1,670 
			  21 and over 23,567 4,471 27,030 5,010 28,567 5,618 
			  Total 34,078 6,098 39,087 7,181 41,132 7,930 
			 (1) British Transport Police did not start issuing PNDs until 2006  Source: Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform

Asylum: Zimbabwe

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Zimbabwe who  (a) have been and  (b) have not been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK were held in immigration detention centres on 1 December 2008.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 December 2008
	The UK Border Agency only detains those Zimbabwean nationals who have committed crimes within the United Kingdom and are subject to deportation action and have been assessed as unsuitable for release due to being either a threat to the public and/or are likely to abscond. During December 2008 there were around 35 Zimbabwean criminals who have been detained beyond their sentence.
	All foreign criminals detained pending deportation action have their detention regularly reviewed and have the opportunity to apply for release on bail to the independent Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.

Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of  (a) business improvement districts,  (b) crime and disorder partnerships and  (c) town centre management schemes at reducing crime.

Alan Campbell: Business improvement districts and town centre management schemes are locally funded approaches that primarily aim to improve the trading environment and image of defined areas. Information is not collected centrally on the performance of these schemes. Each scheme is accountable to its funder(s) who in most cases are the local authority.
	Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Crime and Disorder Partnerships (or Community Safety Partnerships in Wales) were required to report annually to the Secretary of State on their activities. This duty was repealed in 2007 in recognition that partnership working practices had matured, to reduce bureaucracy and to enhance the response to the local community's needs. It was replaced by statutory requirements for CDRPs/CSPs to produce a strategic assessment identifying local community safety priorities and a partnership plan which sets out the approach for addressing these priorities and is published locally (in summary form). Hallmarks of Effective Partnerships were also introduced to drive up standards.
	Regional Government offices' provide a link between CDRPs/CSPs and central Government and have a key role in improving the effectiveness of partnerships. They work closely with partnerships to monitor their work in relation to local and national priorities, and provide support and guidance on the implementation of the hallmarks of effective practice.

Departmental Security

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 284W, on departmental security, what procedures are in place to minimise the security risk posed by lost or stolen security passes.

Phil Woolas: It is not our policy to disclose security procedures.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam of 21 August 2008 concerning Mr. Dennis Green of Cheam.

Phil Woolas: Ministerial letters received at the Home Office are routinely scanned on arrival onto the Correspondence Tracking System (CTS) by the Direct Communications Unit (DCU). There is no record on the system of a letter dated 21 August 2008 from the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam having been received.
	The Member's office has now provided the Home Office with a copy of the letter, and this was scanned onto CTS on 13 March. A reply will be provided as quickly as possible, and within the office's 15 working day target.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam of 11 September 2008 concerning Mr. David Hughes of Sutton.

Phil Woolas: Ministerial letters received at the Home Office are routinely scanned on arrival onto the correspondence tracking system (CTS) by the Direct Communications Unit (DCU). There is no record on the system of a letter dated 11 September 2008 from the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam having been received.
	The Member's office has now provided the Home Office with a copy of the letter, and this was scanned onto CTS on 13 March. A reply will be provided as quickly as possible, and within the Office's 15 working day target.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 20 January 2009 on Mrs. K. Mirza.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 9 March 2009.

National Identity Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requirements there will be on persons required to register on the National Identity Register to attend interviews.

Shahid Malik: In some case, individuals may be asked to attend an interview when they apply for registration on the National Identity Register or for a replacement card. We will build upon existing practice where first time adult passport applicants are interviewed in order to help confirm their identity.

National Identity Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 157W, on the National Identity Register, whether there will be indirect links between the National Identity Register and other Government databases; and whether third party organisations will have indirect access to the register.

Shahid Malik: The Identity Cards Act 2006 sets out the legal basis for the provision of information from the National Identity Register, such as a person's name or address, in order to assist in verifying that individual's identity. This will necessitate arrangements for the provision of such information from the register to an authorised person, but it will not involve third party access to the register.

Offensive Weapons: Convictions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2009,  Official Report, column 2056W, on the Tackling Knives Action Programme, what the figure of 815 more convictions for possession of a knife or offensive weapon in the 10 Tackling Knives Action Programme areas represents as a percentage increase.

Jacqui Smith: Management information being used to monitor TKAP suggests that in the period June to November 2008 there were 815 more convictions for possession of a knife or offensive weapon in the 10 TKAP areas than in the same period of 2007. This figure represents a 17 per cent. increase between the two periods.
	These figures are provisional and have been derived from the police's administrative IT system, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Work Permits

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1834-35W, on work permits, if she will break down each category of occupation by nationality of permit applicant.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 23 February 2009
	 The tables placed in the House Library provide a breakdown of the top 20 occupations by nationality and the associated number of individual approved work permit applications for the period 1 January 2006-31 December 2008 with the appropriate caveats.

Council Housing: Rents

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on local authority rents, for what reasons the announcement was not made as part of the local government finance settlement.

Iain Wright: The housing revenue account system is independent of the Local Government Finance Settlement 2009-10. The announcement of help for local authorities to reduce their proposed rent increases for 2009-10 was made on 6 March as soon as was possible to do so after listening to the concerns of tenants and local authorities.

Council Housing: Rents

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on local authority rents, what the estimated administrative costs are of rebilling of rents for 2009-10 by participating local authorities.

Iain Wright: No such estimate has been made.
	Local authorities' spending allowances were set in the subsidy determination issued in December 2008, with higher inflation factors incorporated in the calculations than would apply now. We do not propose to revisit and reduce these assumptions in the same way that we are looking to reduce rent increases for 2009-10. Our priority and focus has been on helping council house tenants. We would expect, therefore, that local housing authorities will have the resources necessary to cover any such additional cost.
	A letter was sent to councils on 11 March explaining how the revised arrangements will be taken forward.

Council Housing: Rents

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on local authority rents, what estimate she has made of the proportion of local authorities which will bid for additional subsidy.

Iain Wright: No estimate has been made of the proportion of local authorities that will take advantage of the announcement made in the written ministerial statement. This is a matter for individual authorities to decide according to local circumstances.

Councillors: Arun

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1072W, on councillors: Arun, what the Audit Commission's basis was for the use of its statutory powers to obtain the personal bank account details of councillors.

Sadiq Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 17 March 2009:
	Your Parliamentary Question on what the Audit Commission's evidential basis was for the use of its statutory powers to obtain the personal bank account details of Arun councillors has been passed to me for reply.
	The request is not limited to councillors. All payroll data is treated in the same way whether it is a salary, members' allowance or other remuneration. Payroll data is one of the key sets of data matched under the National Fraud Initiative (NFI). For example, by matching payroll data to Housing Benefit claimants' data, we can identify potential fraudulent claims or overpayments.
	NFI data processing looks at whether the bank account number and sort code is the same or different in the data provided. This information is then converted into a flag of either 'Yes' the bank details are the same on each data set or 'No' the bank details are different. It is this flag that is included in the NFI reports that helps those participating in the NFI exercise to prioritise cases where income has, for example, potentially been withheld (e.g. in an undeclared bank account). This data is highly significant in the fight against fraud and, in a previous NFI exercise, this information led to the detection of an additional bank account containing capital in excess of 100,000 that was not declared by the housing benefit claimant.
	Although the bank account and sort code are included on the payroll data specification, the name in which the bank account is held is not collected so the Audit Commission cannot make a connection to other account holders or transactions. All the data collected for the National Fraud Initiative is treated with the utmost sensitivity and its use is strictly controlled as set out in the Code of Data Matching Practice, which was laid before Parliament on 21 July 2008. In line with the Code, all original data provided to the Commission will be destroyed and rendered irrecoverable by the Commission at the end of the exercise.

Councillors: Arun

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1072-3W, on councillors: Arun, whether the Audit Commission plans to conduct similar exercises in other local authorities in the next 12 months.

Sadiq Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the Chief Executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 17 March 2009:
	Your Parliamentary question on whether the Audit Commission plans to conduct in other local authorities in the next 12 months, exercises similar to that conducted in Arun in connection with the Commission's National Fraud Initiative (NFI), has been passed to me for reply.
	The Commission does not plan to conduct NFI national data matching exercises in other local authorities in the next 12 months because the NFI is currently undertaken every two years. This exercise is carried out under powers in Part 2A of the Audit Commission Act 1998. All local authorities were required to provide data, including payroll data, for NFI 2008/09 in October 2008. The next scheduled exercise, NFI 2010/11, will require all local authorities to submit data in October 2010.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Councillors: Arun

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1072-3W, on councillors: Arun, whether the Audit Commission has requested councillors in other local authorities to provide their personal bank account details; and what penalty applies in respect of non-compliance with such a request from the Audit Commission.

Sadiq Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 17 March 2009:
	Your Parliamentary question on whether the Audit Commission has requested councillors in other local authorities to provide their personal bank account details; and what penalty for non-compliance applies in respect of such a request from the Audit Commission has been passed to me for reply.
	All local authorities were required to provide payroll data, including but not restricted to councillors bank account details, for NFI 2008/09 in October 2008. This information was required under powers in Part 2A of the Audit Commission Act 1998. Failure to provide the required data without reasonable excuse is an offence for which an individual, on summary conviction, is liable to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale plus an additional fine of up to 20 for each day that the offence continues after conviction. Currently, a level 3 fine can be for an amount up to 1,000.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Fire Services: Contracts

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answers to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 108W, on fire services: contracts, and of 22 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1635W, on Government contracts, who authorised the decision not to include the recommended break clauses in the regional fire control rooms contracts.

Sadiq Khan: There are three main contracts that CLG are responsible for in relation to FiReControl. Of these, the IT contract with EADS Defence and Security and the Facilities Management contract include appropriate non default termination provisions. These are in line with OGC Guidance.
	The RCC leases are structured as finance leases, to defer capital cost over the stated intended life of the project. This was done to maximise VFM through the use of a core public sector/government covenant to maximise the investment value of such assets over an extended period, and thereby reduce cost to the public purse. The insertion of break clauses, while feasible, would have reduced or removed the benefits of that covenant yield and, ultimately, increased the cost of the initial asset.

Freedom of Information

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 3 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1644W, on departments: freedom of information, what requests have been made to her Department under the  (a) Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 and  (b) Environmental Information Regulations since September 2007; and what the (i) FOI case reference number, (ii) nature and topic of information requested, (iii) request outcome and (iv) where appropriate, reason for exemption was in each case.

Sadiq Khan: I have placed the information requested in the Library of the House in four tables(a) resolved requests considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; (b) unresolved requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; (c) resolved requests considered under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004; and (d) unresolved requests under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
	Where the topic of the request as recorded on the database used for entering and tracking progress of requests exceeds the permitted maximum length of 255 characters, the topic descriptor has been abbreviated by the program.

Government Offices for the Regions: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 771W, on Government offices for the regions: expenditure, if she will request the Government Offices for the regions to publish annually information on the programme budgets they administer.

Sadiq Khan: As I said in my answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 122W, programme budgets administered by the Government Offices are the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for the relevant sponsor Departments. The Departments delegate authority to the Regional Directors to spend against their programmes, though all expenditure incurred is recorded in the accounts of the Department concerned.
	Publication of information on these budgets is included in the accounts of those Departments responsible for the programmes.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether her Department authorised representatives of the Homes and Communities Agency to attend the launch of the affordable housing funding package by the Mayor of London on 3 March 2009;
	(2)  how many additional affordable homes will be provided under the Homes and Communities Agency's 135 million funding package for London.

Margaret Beckett: The 135 million package announced by the Mayor on 3 March contained two elements:
	(a) 93 million to unlock five stalled development sites across London over the next 12 months. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) estimates this will result in approximately 941 new affordable homes on these five sites; and
	(b) 42 million for the Up2U/First Steps scheme. The details of this scheme are still being finalised, but it is potentially novel and therefore may require ministerial approval before HCA funding can be committed.
	It was appropriate for the HCA to attend the launch event on 3 March to support the first element of this package (the 93 million to support development in London). The joint GLA/HCA press notice issued for this event indicated that funding for the Up2U/First Steps scheme was subject to ministerial approval.

London Thames Gateway Development Corporation: Business Interests

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 19 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1216W, on Thames Gateway Development Corporation Planning Committee: Business Interests, what reference was made to the Corporation's code of practice prior to the appointment of Mr. Alan Clark to the Planning Committee.

Margaret Beckett: Potential applicants for the role of independent member of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) Planning Committee were sent an 'Information for Candidates' pack. This described the role of independent members of that committee, and the skills sought. In addition, the LTGDC planning code of practice was part of the information pack. That code includes a cross reference to the LTGDC code of practice for board members.
	Candidates were informed in the information pack that any conflicts of interest would have to be declared in any application. The application form itself asked for potential conflicts of interest to be declared; a separate political activity questionnaire was also required to be completed.
	An applicant, if short-listed, would be questioned at interview about any conflicts of interests. If appointed, a member of the committee is required to declare interests on a prescribed form.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1756W, on mortgages: Government assistance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the results of the telephone survey; how the mortgage resale scheme is being publicised; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The informal telephone survey of 60 local authorities operating the Government's Mortgage Rescue Scheme was conducted by officials at Communities and Local Government on 18 February 2009. The exercise was intended to provide an early indication of take-up among a cross-section of participating local authorities.
	Formal monitoring arrangements for all local authorities are currently being finalised, and we expect regional data on the number of households receiving assistance under the scheme to be available from April 2009. Data on the number of completed rescues under the Mortgage Rescue Scheme will be published as part of the Homes and Communities Agency's annual reporting arrangements.
	The Mortgage Rescue Scheme is publicised as part of the recently launched 'Real Help Now' campaign, which aims to ensure people are aware of the support available during the current downturn and how to access it at the earliest opportunity. Details are also available on the Communities and Direct Gov websites and it is referred to in the National Homelessness Advice Service leaflet Are You Worried about your Mortgage? Get advice now, which has been widely circulated to national advice and support services. Individual local authorities have also published literature publicising the scheme in their area and there has been extensive coverage in national and local media.

Private Rented Housing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 644W, on rented housing: private sector, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of the use of credit scoring by landlords and estate agents on those wishing to obtain private rented sector accommodation who previously had their privately-owned property repossessed.

Iain Wright: We have not made any such assessment. The release of the results of credit scoring by landlords and estate agents would understandably be restricted by Data Protection issues. We would not expect landlords or agents to discriminate against tenants who had previously had their privately owned property repossessed providing the tenant in question had met the requirements of their tenancy agreement.

Supporting People Programme

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1284-85W, on homelessness, what definition of housing-related support the Supporting People programme has; who the Supporting People programme aims to help; whether further expenditure is planned; and how many of the 40 court desks providing free legal representation at repossession hearings are available in courts serving Sefton and Liverpool.

Iain Wright: The Supporting People programme defines housing related support as:
	Support services which are provided to any person for the purpose of developing that person's capacity to live independently in accommodation, or sustaining their capacity to do so.
	The Supporting People programme's main aim is to help end social exclusion by preventing crisis and more costly service intervention and enabling vulnerable people to live independently both in their own home and within their community. The Supporting People programme helps a wide range of vulnerable people including: older people, victims of domestic violence, teenage parents, people with learning difficulties, the homeless and those with mental health problems.
	In December 2007 we announced a further 4.9 billion funding up to 31 March 2011 for the Supporting People programme.
	The Legal Services Commission has lead responsibility for funding court desks. Since 2008 Communities and Local Government have been working closely with the Legal Services Commission to increase coverage of this service by funding around 40 of the smaller desks throughout England. Communities and Local Government has offered to continue funding these desks in 2009-10.
	The court desks serving Sefton and Liverpool are funded by the Legal Services Commission.
	Court desks that provide free legal representation at repossession hearings are successful in avoiding immediate repossession in 85 per cent. of cases where people attend court.

Inquests

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on his Department's plans to make provision for some inquests to be held without juries.

Bridget Prentice: At Second Reading my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) told the House that the Government were open to suggestions and amendments about these proposals. Many have responded to my invitation from both sides of the House.
	In consequence, we are this afternoon tabling amendments to fundamentally recast the proposals. First: the criteria for a Secretary of State certification will be significantly tightened.
	Second: The Secretary of State's certificate will trigger consideration by a High Court judgesitting as the coronerwhether it is necessary to hold an inquest without a jury but the decision will be for the High Court judge, who will be able to consider whether special measures with a jury would be adequate to protect the sensitive information concerned. There would be a right of appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1703W, on departmental surveys, if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of the most recent staff survey undertaken by his Department.

Michael Wills: I will arrange for a copy of the results of the most recent staff survey, the Ministry of Justice Staff Engagement Survey, to be placed in the Libraries of the House shortly.

Elections: Expenditure

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 88-89W, on the Electoral Register, how much was provided by his Department to the returning officer in each local authority to meet costs incurred for administering parliamentary and European parliamentary elections in each of the last three years; and what the name of each returning officer was.

Michael Wills: The costs incurred by returning officers for administering parliamentary and European parliamentary elections are paid by the Government out of the Consolidated Fund under section 29 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA) 1983 and section 6 of the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002, respectively. Funding for these elections is not made available to returning officers on an ongoing basisthe Ministry of Justice is responsible for the distribution of the funding to the relevant returning officers for these elections, including by-elections, as and when they are held.
	The funding covers the necessary costs incurred by returning officers for administering the election in the area for which they act, which will include:
	the preparation and printing of ballot papers, poll cards and other election stationery;
	hire and use of polling stations and count venues;
	equipment needed for the election, such as ballot boxes; and
	postage and telephone costs; staffing costs.
	Returning officers are also paid a fee for their services in administering the election.
	In the last three years, the following amounts have been paid to the returning officers for the constituencies tabled for administering the parliamentary by-elections that have been held in those constituencies:
	
		
			  Constituency (date of by-election)  Amount (000) 
			 Blaenau Gwent (29 June 2006) 85.9 
			 Bromley and Chislehurst (29 June 2006) 110.9 
			 Ealing, Southall (19 July 2007) 148.6 
			 Sedgefield (19 July 2007) 120.2 
			 Crewe and Nantwich (22 May 2008) (1)66 
			 Henley (26 June 2008) (1)54.5 
			 Haltemprice and Howden (10 July 2008) (1)76.3 
			 (1) These figures are subject to final confirmation and may change. 
		
	
	No European parliamentary elections have been held in the last three years.
	The names of individual returning officers are not held centrally. Under section 28 of the RPA 1983, the duties of the returning officer for constituencies at a parliamentary election will be discharged by the Electoral Registration Officer appointed by the local authority (as acting returning officer).